How many of you have had times where you feel like there is just not any hope of positive change coming?  You had circumstances come across your life that make you feel like all hope is lost.  I think it’s safe to say that nearly every one of us had.  I know I have had my moments where I felt like things were just pointless.  I spent a year wondering what actually mattered in life.  This kind of feeling can come when we lose someone in our lives as I did or maybe you’ve hit struggles with your work or family situation and it seems things just won’t get better.

What I can personally testify too, is that no matter what your circumstance is, no matter how difficult things may get in life, we have a hope and light in front of us.  We have a God that we can always lean to for guidance and strength to battle any difficulty we may face.  I read this quote today. “Hope fills the afflicted soul with such inward joy and consolation, that it can laugh while tears are in the eye, sigh and sing all in a breath; it is called “the rejoicing of hope” (Hebrews 3:6).” – William Gurnall.  Our hope lies in Christ who came by the Father’s Grace to save us and give us hope in the promise of entering God’s Kingdom.  I don’t know about you, but with all the suffering and trials and tribulations that we have coming our way in this life, I take great joy in the hope of the promise of when Christ returns for His Bride.

Now I am sure people may ask, I’m a Christian, why do I have to go through these difficulties in life.  Why did I lose my Dad so suddenly, as was my case?  Why did I lose my job?  Why can’t I get ahead and provide for my family?  Why am I stuck in this world of addiction that just eats at me?  Why do have any struggles at all?  Simple fact is folks, it comes with this world.  Christ told us, that in this life we will have trials and tribulations.  Difficulties will come our way throughout our time in this world.  Due to our fallen state, we will continue to face these struggles.  We have hope however, because we have a Father that from the very beginning has been pursuing us to win us back and now our hope and our place is secure because Christ has overcome this world (John 16:33).  He overcame and now is preparing a place for the faithful at the wedding feast and He will be returning.

What a cool feeling that is.  We may suffer through difficulties.  We may have struggled with our own sins in this life, but we are always being pursued and if we hold t our faith, our place is secured in the Kingdom.  Hebrew 3:6 says, “But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.”  Remaining confident in our hope and keeping our courage is holding our to our faith and leaning to Christ through our struggles.

I used to not speak this way.  I went through an entire year, where I tried to keep faith, but I didn’t know God well enough and therefore it made my faith real struggle after I lost my Dad.  I speak to this hope with great confidence now.  We always have hope and light in front of us.  God is always pursuing us and reaching out for us to draw us back to Him.  He will go wherever we are to pursue us.  Think about it.  His love for us is so great that He was willing to let Christ take all of the punishment and judgement for our sins.  He took on himself all that we deserved.  That’s Grace and that’s so awesome to know.

There’s a song I’ve heard lately sang by Danny Gokey called, “Hope In Front of Me.”  Some of you may not know who he is, but I remember him coming on American Idol several years back.  He had gone through the struggle of losing his wife to illness before coming on that show.  Amber and I always remember his story.  He knows what struggle and difficulty is first hand as well.  Anyway, this song, if you haven’t heard it, is very powerful and speaks right to the hope that we still have.  The end chorus goes like this…

You’re my hope
You’re the light, I still see it
Your hands are holding me
Even when I don’t believe it
I’ve got to believe
I still have hope
You are my hope

God is always there folks and we always have a hope in Him.  Even when things may seem so difficult and it gets difficult to hold on to your faith, know that God’s hands are always reaching out for you.  We still have hope and always have hope in the promises of Christ’s return and that the struggles of this world have been overcome and that we will overcome it all too.