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This December was a finish line of sorts for me.
I didn’t plan for it to be; I didn’t even realize I was still running — until one day this December the memories of the past five years washed over me with full force, knocking me down and leaving me breathless.
Five years isn’t that long – just a handful, really, one I’ve lived nearly seven times over. Yet for all of the joy and sorrow the years have held, these past five years could have contained a lifetime.
There has been much struggle, but there — there, there, there — in every struggle and sorrow and wrestling with God, there has been so. much. joy.
“When we lay the soil of our hard lives open to the rain of grace and let joy penetrate our cracked and dry places, let joy soak into our broken skin and deep crevices, life grows.” {Ann Voskamp}
I shared on Instagram yesterday: the weight of the past five years, hit me this month, and I’m still flat on my back, speechless.
Only with time and quiet will I be able to mine through the moments and the memories and discover bits of meaning.
These years have held majestic mountains and deep, deep valleys. We have been tossed and tumbled and laid bare in the dust, but no matter how dry or desperate, the steady rain of God’s grace has watered our souls and nourished our lives.
There was a whole year I couldn’t will myself to hope, afraid of what would happen if I did.
What I forgot was that hope is more than just a feeling. Hope is a person.
Praise God that when I let go of hope, Hope never let go of me.
If you are in that place, desperate to keep your head above water and grasping for an anchor for your soul, I pray that these Scriptures will buoy your heart and become your breath prayers back to our Father.
When You’re Desperate for Hope: 10 Scriptures to Strengthen Your Heart
1. Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8
“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken…Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pout out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.” {Psalm 62: 1-2, 5-8}
2. Romans 15:13
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” {Romans 15:13}
3. Psalm 39:7-8, 12
“But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools…Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping.” {Psalm 39:7-8, 12}
4. Psalm 71:1-5
“In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame!
In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me, and save me!
Be to me a rock of refuge,
to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, from my youth….” {Psalm 71:1-5}
5. Psalm 119:116
“Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope!” {Psalm 119:116 ESV}
6. Lamentations 3:17-33
“My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is. Then I thought: My future is lost, as well as my hope from the Lord…Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! I say: The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good to wait quietly for deliverance from the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young… For the Lord will not reject us forever. Even if He causes suffering, He will show compassion according to His abundant, faithful love. For He does not enjoy bringing affliction or suffering on mankind.” {Lamentations 3:17-33 HCSB}
7. Isaiah 40:28-31
“Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.” {Isaiah 40:28-31}
8. Psalm 33:18-22
“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.” {Psalm 33:18-22}
9. Psalm 119:147
“I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words.” {Psalm 119:147 ESV}
10. Psalm 130:5-7
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.” {Psalm 130:5-7}
Questions for You:
Where are you struggling to know Hope right now?
What verses do you turn to when you are struggling with hope?
Resources for You:
If you are struggling to find hope in your marriage, please order my new book Pray Truth: Praying God’s Word for my Husband’s Heart. I truly believe that God will use this little book to bring new hope to your heart.
Thanks for your obedience in writing the post; “We you need to find hope agian.” That was for me . I am a Pastor who is currently not ministering due to the fact that my wife is not walking with the Lord as she should. A few years ago my wife began to backslide. It got progressively worse as time went along. She became resentful and bitter, and began drinking, and not tending to the girls in thier schooling or taking care of them as she should. It got to the point where I had to step down from the ministry. The Lord even spoke to my wife one morning and told her the reason why we weren’t in the ministry is becaise she was not walking with the Lord. It seemed from that time on that she really fought being faithful to the Lord. I felt I was disqaulfied from for ministry becaue of the situation with my family.
I Timothy 3:11-12 NKJV
Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
Because of my wife’s shipwrecked faith she was tearing me down to the girls by often times showing contempt for my faith. Becasue of the years of my wife constaly contridicting me in front of the girl’s and arguing with me, and showing disrespect to me. My two daughters (now 17 and 15) have grown estranged from me. They too have gotten to the point where at times they have contempt for my faith.
It has been so difficult at times… much of the time. My wife makes all decisions, she never talks to me about anything. I have no input with the what goes on in our home. Whether it is in regaurd to the girl’s or money. Before she backslide, we kept a tight regin on the grils internet activtiy. But now they are on the internet all the time. And they have been surfing and doing things my wife a couple of years ago would have never let them do.
Any time I try and talk to the gril’s about it, my wife will come into the room and start contrdicting me, and tell them to ignore what I am telling them after I leave the room. It is stuff like this, where I feel like a prisonr in my own home. I have watched my wife shipwreck her faith, and have had to deal with the consaqences afterwards. I have watched her bitterness defile her children…
Hebrews 12:15 NKJV
looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;
Its been a very hard road. I had come to the point where I was just beside myself. Even when the counselor told my wife that some of her behavior was not consistent with Biblical standards, she stop going. I felt my life verse was Proverbs 13:14….
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
I feel like only knowing the sickness of heart because my hope keeps getting deffered. If it wasn’t for the Lord encouraging me through specific verses and the power of His grace to endure what I am going through…. and the encouragement through you and others, (Club 31 Women, TimeWarp Wife, The Better Mom, For the Family…) I would have given in a long time ago.
You women don’t know how much you have encouaged me. As a Pastor, I dealt with marriage issues. Constantly dealing with unbiblical mindsets… husbands not loving thier wives… wives not submiting to thier husbands… when it hit my home, I would cry out to the Lord… “where are the women of God Lord? The devoted and godly women who would teach and instruct other women how to be godly wives?”
Then a couple of years ago, I stumbled unto Darlene Schacht’s blog. Then other women that where featured on her blog. I have been finding much encouagement and hope by reading your posts. (Today I found you on For the Family Blog) I know it may sound funny,or even wired. But, though my family is torn apart at the this time, I have found joy in reading about you and other families and marriges growing in the Lord. It has been a sour
I don’t know you Sir, but I can truly relate and it aches my heart but ALL things work for good to them that loves the Lord Keep on trusting and don’t you ever give up!!! God bless!!
This is a beautiful post. I’m with you on so many levels, the feeling of hopelessness has kept me living in fear and depression for so long. It wasn’t until I began to believe in the hope that was promised, and not wavering from the promises. That’s when I began to discover true joy and abundant life. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for your blog. As I was searching scriptures that contained hope, I stumbled into your writings. I am a wife and mother who’s losing hope in ever seeing my son recover from mental illness. He suffers from severe depression disorder. Until recently, he was told he has Bipolar 2. I’m really not sure exactly what his diagnosis is, but all I know is that my son is dying inside. He’s been depressed for years and these last two years have been agonizing for him and for us seeing him like this. He’s tried a plethora of medicines for anxiety and depression and NOTHING has worked for him. He’s about to start an experimental treatment, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) which is similar to electrical shock therapy but not as invasive or dangerous. We’re still waiting for the doctor to get it set up and we just learned this week that our insurance finally authorized the procedure. My son is turning 21 in February and he feels that his life is over. He’s been hospitalized a few times for suicidal ideations. Right now he never leaves the house and spends 90% of his time inside his bedroom with the door closed. He can’t work, can’t go to school, doesn’t even hang out with his friends anymore because he just can’t connect with people and his friends are now shunning him and walk on egg shells around him. We try to get him out of the house by always inviting him places and he always declines our invitation. I am losing all hope in ever seeing him well again and I have to confess that as King David, I am angry with God. My son who is a believer, just told me recently that he’s not sure anymore of the existence of God. He has definitely lost all hope because NOTHING has ever worked. He just doesn’t understand why ablovhng God would make him suffer so much and would not answer his cry for help.
Please pray for my son. Please pray that this TMS treatment along with the right meds would be the answer to living a normal life for him. That’s all he’s ever asked for, to feel like a normal young man. Please also pray that he would regain hope and trust in the Lord. Thank you!
To the mama of the 21 year old son, do not lose Hope in God. There is a book called Gods Creative Power by Charles Capps. You can get it from Amazon. My mama gave me this book 20+ years ago. The wisdom in this book is straight from God’s Word. It changed my life then and ever day since. The Word of God is your weapon against every evil of this world. God has given us the authority through His name and the blood He shed on the cross. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. God’s Word is medicine to all our flesh. Proverbs 4:20-22. God’s Creative Power for Healing is a smaller version for around $2. God’s Word will not return void!
I also work at at Abby’s Health Food Store in Tampa. Call us and we can connect you with a Wellness associate who can direct you to answers and beneficial remedies.
I am because He Is❤️
To the mother of the 21 year old. I hear and feel your pain and that of your son. Do not be discouraged! Hold on to the promises of God; He says ‘I will be with you always, even to the ends of the age” Matthew 28:20. “Behold, I will bring health and cure, and I will cure them.” Jeremiah 33:6. “Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits. Who forgives all your sins. Who heals all your diseases.” Psalms 103:2-3
Please determine to ascertain the cause of your son’s depression. What makes him feel depressed? For Within The Cause Lies The Cure. I also want to suggest that you look into changing your son’s diet. The ultimate goal would be a Vegan diet where all animal products: all meat and dairy products are removed. They should be replaced with plant based foods: vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains. Making sure to eat as much raw vegetables in each meal as possible and drinking plenty water daily. These foods will feed the brain with healthy Phytonutrients and Anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals. He can start out small by replacing junk food (sugary and salty snacks) with wholesome snacks (fresh fruits and vegetables). If he will get outside, the Fresh Air and Sunshine will feed and rejuvenate his body and mind. The 8 Laws of health, God’s Laws of Health are what we all need to be in optimum health. They are: START NOW — Sunshine, Temperance(self control), Activity, Rest, Trust in God, Nutrition, Oxygen(fresh air) and Water. I am praying for your son and your family. May the Peace of the Lord be with you all, In Jesus Name, Amen!
I am a 51 year old Christian man that has had a successful Vererinary practice for 26 years. About three years ago and got involved in a second business that I shouldn’t have and it has drained me financially. I feel like I am in prison with this second business and it has triggered my depression and anxiety that was in check prior to me getting involved with this second business. I feel that I didn’t ask or listen to the lord for guidance as to whether I should’ve gotten into this second business. I was on track to start slowing down at my practice and not having to start working three days a week versus full time. I was also on track to retire early or have the option to. As of now I can do neither as I have to keep pushing to cover the debt service. I need any spiritual guidance abd help that anyone can offer. Thanks in advance.
God bless you all I have been a believer since I was 21 and I have been married for 30 years I wish I had the knowledge and wisdom that I have now back then I would of had a lot of less headaches and regret, but my pass do not define the person I am today, our mistakes and sin makes us more loving and compassion for others. I learn through Derek Prince ministry the secrets of full deliverance and curses, anyone that has anxiety, depression, sickness or any others situation that you seem not to understand please listen to his sermon, it saved my spiritual life and I received full deliverance, its state in the Bible my people perish for lack of wisdom. Please ask God to give us a new heart and sensitive ears to the Holy Spirit. God bless you all
Today I am renewed by the word of God. I asked God to reveal to me what tormented my peace and I waited patiently. I prayed over myself, called out to my sisters in Christ to pray in Gods name over me. Through tears I worshipped and tonight 1am I was praying and I asked God “tell me the name of this spirit that torments me.” God said “desperation”.
Instantly I googled, what does the Bible say about desperation?
I am here reading these scriptures. God is real he is alive. The enemy works daily to take your hope and through physical flesh things he creates moments of desperation. Remember where your Hope lyes remember who you serve and what God says about your life and your families lives.
By the blood of Jesus Christ we are saved and resurrected. We are not desperate and alone we have the vindication of our father God calling us closer every day and our family. We must always proclaim the blood Christ over everything we call “ours”.
By the name of JESUS CHRIST WE ARE FREE!
Absolutely! “If the Son has set you free, you are free indeed!”
I am blessed to Learn that men like me can be helped here. I just don’t know how to share this but since 2011 my life has never been the some. All seems low and lost nothing good comes my way. All I do invest in some How slow down or ends in unimaginable debts. Thanks for the few verses of hope. I need prayers.
Hello,
Good article on Hope. It will probably help someone. As for me I can’t find any hope for this life in either God or Jesus. Yes I have managed to hold on to my hope for salvation and eternal life in Heaven with both God and Jesus. How I don’t truly don’t know. But no hope for life. After living all my life (54 years) in poverty with zero chances to escape it. On top of that, my 42+years as a Christian has been spent with absolutely no indication that God is involved with me at all. Endless silence and absence, plus zero prayers answered, tend to kill hope, faith, trust, joy, peace, contentment, etc. I feel completely ignored by God. Unless you count the neglect as God being involved. What is God doing? Only supplying the basic needs just to torture me. Thanks
God bless you, through the Holy Spirit, in Jesus holy name, Amen.