Do you ever feel your soul (mind, will, and emotions) is so cast down that all hope is gone?
“Why so downcast, oh my soul? Put your hope in God.”
This worship chorus is right out of Psalm 42:11. Is it just “positive speaking” to tell your soul to put your hope in God? Honestly, I hate what the concept of “positive speech” has become. Originally it was designed to help change our focus from the problem plaguing us to the goodness of God. Later it took on a “Pollyanna” slant – oh, my, isn’t life wonderful? Nothing can ever bother me, because I only say positive things. Sort of like the character Annie in the musical. (But I do love the show!)
Well, life isn’t always wonderful. And refusing to say negative things will help sometimes, depending on what’s bothering you, but it sure isn’t the cure-all. That spot is reserved for Jesus.
The Bible is chock-full of references to hoping in Jesus or God. Look at Jeremiah 29:11: God declares, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Verse 14 also declares that He will bring us back from our captivity. I love that. Are you captive in some way? I was, and Jesus gave me freedom.
Let me join my voice with the scriptures. Hang on to hope! Put your hope in Jesus, the One who loves you without strings, who knows you better than you know yourself and still loves you.
So, if hope is such an important thing, how do you get it, much less hang onto it?
Think about this: if you have a parent who regularly let you down and broke promises to you, do you have hope that “this time” will be different? Probably not. And if you do, you are having wishful thinking instead of hope. The unhealthy relationship has taught you well.
But you do have a Father, the God of hope, who has never broken a promise to you. The relationship with Him is the source of your hope. And Jesus is one with the Father.
I remember well the days before and during my long healing journey. I certainly didn’t put my hope in God (what little I had at any given time.) I said I did, but it was just words to impress my friends with my Christian maturity. What bunk!
My healing journey was more than half over when I finally developed a close enough relationship with Jesus that I could put my hope in Him. That was when the light at the end of the long, dark tunnel began to shine. It took a lot of work. I had to give Him permission to touch my heart and my feelings over and over again.
Things still happen to disturb my soul, and I have to remind myself to put my hope in God.
But it is getting easier.
this is part 3 in a series on abuse recovery
Part 1| Am I Alone in my Pain?
Part 2| Do You Have Hope?
all illustrations courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net