Hold On To Hope
The word “hope” in the New Testament is elpis (Strong’s NT:1680). It is defined as expectation, to anticipate (usually with pleasure), confidence and security. In a good sense, expectation of good, hope, and in the Christian sense, joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation. The author of hope, or He who is its foundation. The thing hoped for. Translated in some verses in the KJV as faith.
Hebrews 6:19 says that hope is an anchor to the
soul. When the storms come and the winds blow, hope will keep us firmly secured
so that we are not tossed to and fro.
Sometimes situations happen in life where we are
tempted to give up, where we begin to lose hope.
Some have lost hope, or are just hanging on by a
thread. You’ve waited on the Lord, have prayed many prayers, have cried many
tears … yet the promise has not come to pass yet. The healing that you are
believing for has not manifested yet.
But don’t give up, because He WILL show up.
This is a prayer that the Psalmist David penned
when he was in distress. Depression and hopelessness had set in and he found
himself in a pit of despair.
Psalms 69:2-3, 14-17 AMP
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters, where the floods overwhelm me.
3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched;
my eyes fail with waiting [hopefully] for my God.
14 Rescue me out of the mire, and let me not sink;
let me be delivered from those who hate me and from out of the deep waters.
15 Let not the floodwaters overflow and overwhelm
me, neither let the deep swallow me up nor the [dug] pit [with water perhaps in
the bottom] close its mouth over me.
16 Hear and answer me, O Lord, for Your
loving-kindness is sweet and comforting; according to Your plenteous tender
mercy and steadfast love turn to me.
17 Hide not Your face from Your servant, for I am
in distress; O answer me speedily!
David had been anointed as king, yet spent several
years of his life hiding in caves and fleeing from Saul. Those were difficult
years but God brought him through it. Eventually, the promise was fulfilled in
his life. He was appointed as king over Judah for 7 years, then king over all
Israel for the next 33 years, totaling 40 years.
David said in Psalms 27:13-14, “I would have
despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In
the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take
courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.” NASU
The year was approximately 1997 or 1998. I had hit
a low place in my life. Proverbs 13:12 says that hope deferred makes the heart
sick, but when the desire comes it is a tree of life. I was going through burn
out. I was working full time, going to college in the evenings and Saturdays,
plus other activities I was involved in. I did a lot of commuting on the hectic
freeways in bumper-to-bumper traffic on a daily basis. Sometimes I didn’t get
home until after 10:30pm, then would start the next cycle the following
morning.
Also, I was distressed with problems in my family.
Plus, hopelessness set in waiting for some promises to come to pass in my life.
I reached a point where hope had been lost and I wanted to go to heaven. I fell
into a deep depression. The pain was more than I could bear. I never did
attempt to commit suicide, but thoughts of dying, suicide and going to heaven
were on my mind a lot.
One evening I was sitting on the edge of my bed
with thoughts going through my mind of wanting to die and go on to heaven.
Meanwhile, my mother was in the family room watching the Praise the Lord
broadcast on TBN. My mother rushed into my room and told me that Jan Crouch had
a word of knowledge that there was a woman who was thinking about dying, had
suicidal thoughts on her mind (although, as I said, I never attempted to kill
myself). When Jan Crouch gave that word of knowledge, my mother knew it was for
me and she was right.
Around that same time, I was sleeping and had a
vision during the night. I don’t know if I woke up and saw the vision or if I
was asleep the whole time. All I know is that it was SO real and tangible. I
was asleep and then I opened my eyes and saw an Asian woman (around in her 20’s
or 30’s) who I did not recognize. She was sitting on the edge of my bed in
front of me. She said that she came to give me a word from the Lord, and it was
along the same lines as the word of knowledge from Jan Crouch. The Lord (through
her — maybe she was an angel) told me the consequences if I were to go through
with ending it all. (I would end up in hell.) I immediately repented. I don’t
know if I would have gone to hell for committing suicide (because I was not in
my right mind at the time), but it probably would have been for years of
harboring unforgiveness and hatred in my heart towards a family member. If you
refuse to forgive others, then God cannot forgive you of your trespasses.
Psalms 40:1-3 in the Amplified Version says,
1 I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord;
and He inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of
tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my
feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings.
3 And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of
praise to our God. Many shall see and fear (revere and worship) and put their
trust and confident reliance in the Lord. [Psalms 5:11.]
God promises to transform our valley of trouble
into a door of hope.
Hosea 2:15-16 (AMP) says,
15 There I will give her her vineyards and make the
Valley of Achor [troubling] to be for her a door of hope and expectation. And
she shall sing there and respond as in the days of her youth and as at the time
when she came up out of the land of Egypt.
16 And it shall be in that day, says the Lord, that
you will call Me Ishi [my Husband], and you shall no more call Me Baali [my
Master].
The Easton’s Bible Dictionary goes into detail
about the Valley of Achor. Achor means “trouble”. This valley was near Jericho,
and identified as the Wady Kelt. It was named after the consequence of the
trouble which the sin of Achan caused Israel (Joshua 7:24-26).
The expression “Valley of Achor” became proverbial
for that which caused trouble. When Isaiah 65:10 refers to it, the Valley of
Achor would be a place for herds to lie down. Meaning, that which had been a
source of calamity would become a source of blessing. Hosea 2:15 uses the
expression in the same sense. The Valley of Achor (trouble) would be for a door
of hope. Trouble would be turned into joy, despair into hope.
If we will surrender to the Lord, He will turn our
Valley of Achor into a door of hope. It will not only bring hope to us, but we
in turn will be able to offer other people hope who are going through the same
thing.
It is God's will that no one should perish (end up in hell), but that ALL should come to repentance.
For God so loved this world that He gave His only begotton Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God did not send His Son into this world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him would be saved.
The thief (Satan the devil) comes only for to kill, steal and destroy. But Jesus has come to give us life, and life more abundantly, until it overflows.
I urge you to come to the Cross today and receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord. He will wash away all your sins and make you as clean and white as fresh snow.
Just pray this prayer and mean it with your heart:
Dear Lord Jesus (if you are not able to call him Lord yet, then just say "Jesus")
I receive You as my Savior and Lord. I give my life over to You. I believe that You died and rose again, and that if I call on the Name of the Lord I shall be saved.
I accept you into my heart right now, and confess that You are Lord and have risen from the dead and forever live to make intercession for me.
Thank You for washing my heart pure and clean and making me whole, and for giving me peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Thank You that now I am a new creature in Christ Jesus. The old has gone and the new has come.
And there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh (carnality and sin), but walk after the Spirit. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
If you prayed this prayer, I believe you got born again and are now heaven bound and will be with the Lord forever and have eternal life. Your sins are now forgiven. You are accepted in the Beloved.
I would encourage you to find a good Bible based local church to help you grow in your faith, to learn the Word of God, to praise and worship Him, and to have fellowship with the saints.
Serving Christ is the best decision you will ever make.
God bless you!!!
