Are you battling discouragement right now? Have the adversities you have recently faced in life caused you to lose hope? Are you fighting against despair?
It can be a daily challenge to maintain an optimistic outlook in the Christian life. Most of the time, we do fairly well; other times, we feel defeated. When those low moments come, you and I need a good dose of hope to pick us up—and that provision of godly hope may come from an unexpected source. Often, we can be surprised by hope.
A Strange Place for Hope
Every Wednesday morning, the staff members of DPM-USA gather for a regularly scheduled prayer meeting in the boardroom. Sometimes, if I arrive early that morning, I will set up the area for the upcoming meeting. I will make sure the thermostat is at the right temperature, the keyboard is ready for worship, and the table in the center of the room is prepared. On that table are a shofar and a Bible opened to a key passage.
One recent Wednesday morning, I was replacing the centerpieces on the table, and I was selecting the passage for that day. The verse that was uppermost in my mind was the one about the steadfast love of the Lord being “new every morning.” I knew it was in Lamentations, but I had my doubts about it being an uplifting book of the Bible to place before us—with its detailed complaint about all of the woes of Israel.
But as I opened to the third chapter of Lamentations, I was surprised by hope.
An Unlikely Setting
Most Christians who are familiar with the Bible know that Lamentations may be a good book to avoid if you are in a bad mood. Most of the content in its five chapters focuses on the misery and devastation experienced by the people of Israel. I was keenly aware of this fact as I began leafing through the first chapters of Lamentations.
Then it happened. Right there in chapter 3, soon after the author admits in verse 18 that his strength and hope have perished, he expresses this surprising reaction in verse 21 to the memory of his affliction: “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.”
What?!? The memory of our pain is a catalyst for hope? Maybe what he was saying was, “I guess it couldn’t get any worse—so let’s hope things get better.” Right afterward comes the part about God’s love and compassion never failing: “They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (verse 23). Now, get ready to be surprised by hope.
Waiting Quietly in Hope
Right in the middle of all the suffering, the author talks about hope. “’The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’ The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD” (verses 24–26). Hope all over the place!
That phrase, “hope and wait quietly” carries a powerful message, doesn’t it? I found a wonderful parallel to this phrase as I studied more about hope. One of my favorite passages is Isaiah 40:31: “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength….” But the New International Version combines the idea of waiting and hoping in its translation of that verse: “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.” What is the message? Waiting quietly on the Lord, in hope, to be surprised by hope.
A Wonderful Revelation
Are you in the middle of a tough situation, needing a good dose of hope? Perhaps these encouraging words from Derek Prince’s message, “The Helmet of Hope,” will help. It is a comprehensive study of the many aspects of hope revealed in the Word of God, like this segment dealing with a wonderful truth from Colossians 1:27.
The whole of the Gospel centers in a great and wonderful revelation which was kept secret from all the prophets, sages, and great men of past generations. But now, it is revealed to humble believers like you and me. What is this tremendous revelation? “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Notice that the glory is in the future. That is legitimate. If you have no hope of eternal glory, you don’t have Christ in you. Why? Because Christ in you is the hope of eternal glory.
See, our salvation depends on hope. We are saved by hope. When we’re lost, we’re without God, we’re without Christ, and we’re without hope. But when we have Christ in us, we have the hope of glory—the hope for the future. If Christianity only solves the problems of time, it is a failure. Paul said, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19, KJV).
There is a future. The one who has Christ has hope for that future—a glorious, radiant, confident expectation of eternal glory with Almighty God, the holy angels, and the redeemed of all ages from age to age to age. That’s what you have when you have Christ in you.
Asking the Lord
Do you still feel hopeless concerning the situation facing you right now? Does it look too impossible? Maybe it’s time for you and me to go to the Lord together.
By faith, Lord, I declare—even as I am facing a desperate, seemingly hopeless situation—that You are the God of hope, the very author of all hope. I will hope and wait quietly upon You for the breakthrough I need.
As my prayer of faith in this moment, I personalize Romans 15:13 and apply it to myself: “Now may the God of hope fill me with joy and peace in believing, that I may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
I admit, Lord, that in my own power, I cannot produce the hope I need right now. I recognize that it comes from You, by the power of the Holy Spirit. I receive that power now to enable me to abound in hope. Amen.
We All Need Hope
Based upon the proclamation and prayer we just made together, let’s be prepared in the coming days to be surprised by hope. What might that look like? It may be a slight, even unexpected lift in your spirit at a moment of dejection. Or it may be the Lord’s gentle whisper in your ear: “I’m right here with you.” God will graciously answer the prayer of faith you and I have just voiced. The Lord will surprise us with hope.
All of us on the staff of DPM understand what it is like to cling to the Lord in hope. If you were to hear the testimonies of those who work here, you would readily identify with many of the struggles and challenges we have endured. One common theme you would hear from us is that Derek Prince’s teaching has been an anchor of hope for us. Every one of us here at DPM wants to see you receive that same anchor for your life.
As a good starting point for the renewal of your hope and strength, please feel free to download the full message from which we took Derek’s quote: “The Helmet of Hope.” It is a comprehensive teaching that will help to answer many of the questions you face in your relationship with Jesus Christ—especially those that result from a lack of hope.
We are happy to provide this free resource. (Use the download link for a free MP3.) It is just one practical way we can stand with you as our friend and partner, with our deepest thanks for your prayers and gifts.
Two Reassuring Words
Are you still needing a little more reassurance that hope is truly on the way? Let’s close this letter with two passages of Scripture to encourage us.
The first—Romans 4:18—can reassure us that our struggle to hope and believe is not unique to us. Every person of faith has been through this kind of a battle—even Abraham, who is known as the father of our faith. I like the Berean Study Bible’s rendition of this passage: “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed….” What does this verse tell us? That even Abraham had to fight the battle for the hope he needed to believe the promise of God, especially when it seemed that all hope was gone.
The second passage is simply a good, direct promise from the mouth of the Lord. We find it in Jeremiah 31:17, and it is followed by the phrase, “says the LORD.” Here is what God says to you and me in verse 17: “There is hope in your future.” I believe you and I can take that to the bank. The Lord said it, and we can stand on that promise.
So, whatever our situation, and regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves right now, let’s stretch out our faith. Let’s prepare to be surprised by hope.
All the best,
Dick Leggatt
President, DPM–USA
