A Story of Renewed Hope

Have you ever felt hopeless? Today my friend Tiffany from mommyofmayhem.com is going to share her own story of hope as she digs deep into what the Bible has to say on the topic. We’ll look at where our hope should come from as Christians, and what to do when our hopes are deferred. I pray that this will give you the tools to handle hopelessness as well as leave you with hope for eternal life with God.

My Story of Renewed Hope

For the past eight years, I have battled with chronic pain. I was only 23 years old when the pain in my joints became so intense that I had to walk with a cane, withdraw from work and school, and spend many days bedridden.

Prior to this, I was a national champion equestrian rider – completely healthy and fit. The pain started while I was teaching at an equestrian facility in Gainesville, FL. I would get home from work and would have to crawl up the stairs of my apartment because my hips and knees were in so much pain!

At the beginning of my journey with chronic pain, I had so much hope. Every doctor I visited would be THE ONE. They would figure out what was wrong, give me the magic fix, and I’d be back to my old life as if nothing had ever happened.

That did not happen.

During that time, I found profound truth in the Proverb that says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12).

Hope is an interesting thing. When our hopes are too high, and our realities don’t live up to our expectations, it can leave us with a bad taste in our mouths. So we try to suppress our hopes, keep our expectations low, so as not to be disappointed. But this is not the solution, and it has never worked for me. I seem to always have inflated hopes, even when I know I shouldn’t. I can always feel a little balloon of inflated hope rising in my heart – threatening to lead me to yet another disappointment.

Can you relate to this?

Is there anything in your life that has disappointed you over and over again? Perhaps like me you’ve had chronic pain or chronic illness. Or maybe your disappointment stems from a person – a spouse, parent, child, or even yourself.

Hope can be a dangerous thing. We hope that our spouse can change, we hope that we can change. But then reality hits and our little balloon of hope bursts and all we’re left with are the fragments of yet another letdown.

Where does God fit into all of this?

What Does the Bible Say About Hope?

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

In my battle with chronic pain, this has become one of my favorite Bible verses. I love that this verse says to hold “unswervingly.” The word unswervingly brings to mind two cars racing toward each other, playing chicken. I’m driving one of the cars and the other car is the hardship I’m facing. Because I know that God is with me, and I have hope for eternity, I can drive my car of faith unswervingly into the hardship, and know that I will still be standing at the end of it because of the Lord’s divine power.

Kind of scary, right?

But if we know the Almighty God who is powering our car, and his sovereignty over the hardship ahead of us, we can be confident and drive ahead through life unswervingly.

Why Should We Have Hope?

“…for He who promised is faithful.”

The reason we can cling to our hope without flinching is because of God.

It’s not because we’re such optimistic people – because even the most optimistic person gets disappointed.

It’s not because of our own righteousness or good deeds that we’re hopeful.

Scripture says that we have hope because God – who has given us great and precious promises – is faithful.

This means He is steadfast. Unshakeable. He does not change and will not retract His word. Objectively trustworthy.

God is the only one who will never let us down. He always comes through and He never fails.

What Does the Bible Say To Hope For?  

Our hope is that this life is not all there is. That at the end of our lives we will not be left with those popped balloon fragments – God will make all things whole and new (Matthew 19:28).

God is the “God of hope” (Romans 15:13). And not a dead, useless hope – but a “living hope” (1 Peter 1:3). We know that God’s hope does not disappoint us (Romans 5:5) and is built not from fanciful imaginings but from sufferings that produce endurance and character.

The world’s version of hope is built on Disney princesses and fat-free marshmallow fluff that ultimately leads to regrets, disappointment and emptiness.

God’s version of hope is given to us freely because of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (1 Peter 1:3) but it’s cultivated in us through hardships in this life.

Did you get that last part? Hardships in this life are part of God’s plan for hope.

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:2-5

I’m going to be really honest with you, I’m scared of hardships. I don’t want to suffer. However, I do see that God uses hardships and suffering to produce in me something great: an even better, more hopeful, more faithful version of myself. And that’s a blessing in this life; not just the life to come.

In my battle with chronic pain, it has drawn me closer to God and has made me more heaven-focused than I’ve ever been before. When I was healthy, I didn’t depend on God nearly as much as when I’m in pain. I didn’t know the closeness that could be achieved with my Almighty God when I was in perfect health. In many ways, I think I needed to be brought low in order to see how Great my God is!

If you’re struggling to connect with God in this way in the chaos and heartache of your life, I encourage you to check out this free devotional email series for communing with God in the midst of pain. Whether you’re in physical pain like I was, or emotional or mental pain – it is possible to draw closer to God in these times.

When I was healthy, I didn’t think that much about heaven. And if I’m really honest, I wasn’t particularly excited about heaven. Yes, even as a Christian I sometimes struggled to understand what the hype was all about.

Now that I’ve suffered in this life, I can’t wait for heaven. I can’t wait to meet with Jesus and commune with the Godhead. To really be one with God without the cares of this world weighing me down and without the constant warring of my soul. I hasten the day for full and complete healing – of body, soul, and mind.

If you have a hard time thinking about Heaven or getting excited about it, I encourage you to read this post to get a fresh perspective about what Heaven might be like.

But what if God doesn’t come through?

What If My Hopes Are Never Fulfilled?

Here’s the tough part about God’s hope: we can’t see it (Hebrews 11:1). Not yet.

“Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Romans 8:24-25

Look, God has different priorities than we do. Reflect on these verses about the nature of God:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. Isaiah 55:8

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 2 Peter 3:8

When we pray for something, we want it RIGHT NOW. And if we don’t get an answer to our prayers right when we want them, we get frustrated, bitter and disappointed.

However, that’s not how God works. He’s got the whole picture in mind – we only have the teensiest view of the eternal picture.

So when we don’t get our prayers answered when we want them to be answered, it doesn’t mean that God’s not working on them.

Sometimes, God’s answer is: wait.

Sometimes, God’s answer is no, that’s not what’s best for you.

And this is difficult. And, at times, heart breaking. But here are the things I know to be true about God, no matter what His answer is:

1. God cares. (Luke 12:7, 1 Peter 5:7)

2. He is listening. (1 Peter 3:12, 1 John 5:15)

3. He is working for the good. (Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11)

4. He is powerful and able. (Psalm 147:4-5, Jeremiah 10:12-13)

5. He is sovereign – nothing happens that’s beyond His reach. Nothing happens by accident. (Colossians 1:16-17, Lamentations 3:37-39)

6. He is preparing a place in Heaven. (John 14:2-3, 2 Corinthians 5:1-5, Revelation 21:3)

7. His timing is not my timing. (2 Peter 3:8, Habakkuk 2:3)

Whenever I am tempted to be disappointed or doubt what God is doing, I run through this list in my mind and in prayer.

If you are battling hopelessness right now, I would encourage you to pray through this list and dive deeper into these scriptures for God to show you His true nature and His love for you.

Related: Hope For The Anxious Heart

One More Thing About Hope:

If you’re at all like me, maybe you’re doubting if it’s ‘worth it’ to be hopeful. Like I said before, hope can be dangerous. It can lead us to disappointment and bitterness if our hopes are not fulfilled.

But here’s the amazing part of God’s hope: it will not disappoint us. It will not let us down. We won’t get tired of it. We won’t regret it. It lasts forever.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

Here’s the key: ‘for He who promised is faithful.’

God is faithful, friends. Do you believe that?

This word faithful means that He is trustworthy. He will not let us down. Any disappointments and hardships in this life will be used for our good in this life, and wiped away in eternity.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4

We may not feel like our troubles are ‘light and momentary’ right now – I sure don’t. But when we’re in Heaven, we will look back and see that God was right. They were light and momentary. And those hardships won’t compare to the glory of Heaven.

This is what I hold fast to on the darkest of days. Jesus is preparing a place for me and when I get there, I will see clearly that God was right – about everything.

So, friends, I pray that you will hold on to the hope of God’s love for you and the hope of eternal life. I pray that you can trust in God’s ultimate faithfulness and commune with Him in this life and the life to come.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13