Hopeless-
having no expectation of good or success; not susceptible to remedy or cure; incapable of redemption or improvement. (Mirriam-Webster)
“Yet I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14
having no expectation of good or success; not susceptible to remedy or cure; incapable of redemption or improvement. (Mirriam-Webster)
After reading the above definition, do you think you could easily be attached to hopelessness? Most women embattled with infertility or who have experienced multiple miscarriages find themselves in a state of Hopelessness. With each passing year or heartrending loss, we slip further and further into it. Discouragement soon grows into despair, and the feeling that we are never going to be fulfilled permeates our heart.
The first part of that definition defines hopelessness as “having no expectation of good or success”. After four years of trying to conceive, two miscarriages, and a series of failed fertility attempts, my soul had grown weary. At that point, it took more energy to keep up hope than to throw up my hands and say “I’m defeated”. Maybe you know what I’m talking about. There is a definite weariness of soul that comes from prolonged expectation and waiting. Jesus recognized this tendency.
The first part of that definition defines hopelessness as “having no expectation of good or success”. After four years of trying to conceive, two miscarriages, and a series of failed fertility attempts, my soul had grown weary. At that point, it took more energy to keep up hope than to throw up my hands and say “I’m defeated”. Maybe you know what I’m talking about. There is a definite weariness of soul that comes from prolonged expectation and waiting. Jesus recognized this tendency.
"’Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you Rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’" Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus, knowing that we would grow weary, invites us to find rest in Him. He’s offering to share your burden. The imagery here is of an ox being forced to haul a heavy load alone. By yoking it with another, they are able to share the burden and bear it together. That’s what Jesus is offering—to be involved, to share in your trials, to help you bear your burden and make it less wearisome. We “yoke up” with Him when we make it a priority to sit down and listen to what He has to say—when we let Him teach us instead of trying to figure it all out on our own. His credentials are humility and gentleness. Humility in that He, the Lord of creation, the all-knowing, all-powerful God, is willing to get down in the muck and mire to rescue you. He’s willing to involve Himself in the very sinful, broken world that sent Him to the cross two thousand years ago—for you; and He does it all with the compassion and gentleness of a loving Father.
When we allow Him to teach us, to be our source of wisdom and strength, our weary souls will find the rest they have been craving, and our expectation of good will return.
When we allow Him to teach us, to be our source of wisdom and strength, our weary souls will find the rest they have been craving, and our expectation of good will return.
“Yet I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14
“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11
Hope is a strong and confident expectation of things to come. It is knowing that God has not abandoned us to this life in preparation for the next. It is recognizing that the good things of God are for us here, in this present time, and not reserved only for Heaven. Why would we need mercy and grace in a place where the ravages of sin do not exist?
God’s goodness is our invitation to heaven, not a party favor once we get there. It was His goodness that sent His son to suffer for our sake, to make a way that we might live in His presence now and in the life to come. Hope is being able to say, in confidence, “though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him”; meaning that there is nothing that can come against you that would cause you to doubt His good intentions towards you.
God’s goodness is our invitation to heaven, not a party favor once we get there. It was His goodness that sent His son to suffer for our sake, to make a way that we might live in His presence now and in the life to come. Hope is being able to say, in confidence, “though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him”; meaning that there is nothing that can come against you that would cause you to doubt His good intentions towards you.
“The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.” Isaiah 32:17
"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8
“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews 4:16
