Hope In Hard Times

The world is chaotic and unstable. It is challenging to live in a world filled with so many problems and temptations. The future is full of uncertainty. It’s hard to understand why bad things happen. We have an enemy that likes to steal all glimpses of hope. As a result, the world lacks hope.

It is precisely because the world is so chaotic and broken that we need God! If the world were perfect, if we never faced any problems, then we might be tempted to think we don’t need God. But the world isn’t that way, and if there is a time that we need God, it is now. There is nothing more secure than hope in God. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is the anchor in our present and future. 

We have hope because there is a good, good God who will make everything right in the end. He is consistent in the character of goodness to both the righteous and unrighteous. The righteous person is comforted by the Lord’s judgments, certain that He will execute justice with integrity and restore all that is right. 

Bible Verses About Hope In Hard Times

God did not tell us that we wouldn’t face adversity in this life. He did not promise us an easy life but He did promise that He would be with us through each and every trial. God knows that we all struggle with finding and holding onto hope in hard times. When you are faced with the tests of faith, it can be hard to find hope. If we don’t find peace and hope in God where will we find it?

Throughout Scripture, God also weaves the promise and appearance of the Prince of Peace, the Savior, the Messiah. Jesus came to bring us hope. We know that there is always hope in God when we trust in Him. God assures us through His Word that we have a brighter future. 

If you need encouragement, turn to these Scriptures that offer hope and encouragement. Everyone from time to time needs to be reminded of the hope that God offers us in our daily lives. 

Psalm 16:8: “I keep the Lord in mind always. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

Psalm 42:5: “Why am I so depressed?  Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.”

1 Peter 5:10-11: “Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen and support you after you have suffered a little. The dominion belongs to Him forever. Amen.”

Hebrews 12:1: “Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.”

Romans 15:13: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” 

Isaiah 40:31: “but those who trust 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 faint.”

Isaiah 26:3: “You keep in him perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Philippians 1:6: I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Romans 5:5: “This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” 

John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Our difficulties are temporary but hope in God is eternal. God will strengthen and honor in heaven those who endure suffering for their faith while on earth.

Jesus The Hope of The World

Although stressful, chaotic times in our lives threaten to diminish our hope, Jesus renews our hope whenever we seek Him. In Him our hope is certain. It rests on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The sinless Savior died on our behalf so we could be reconciled with the Father and have eternal life too. 

Ephesians 2:14-15: “For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In His flesh, He made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that He might create in Himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.”

1 Timothy 1:1: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope”

Titus 2:13: “while we wait for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Jesus came to save the lost, the brokenhearted, the downtrodden. He knew that each of us needed a Savior and, in turn, gave us hope of life eternal with Him. Jesus is the hope of the world. He is our hope for a future that we will be redeemed. Hope for the present that we are not alone but are loved and cared for deeply. Hope even for our past that our sins and failures are not greater than God’s power of forgiveness and reconciliation. When we look away from ourselves and the trials that we are going through, we are satisfied in Christ.

How to Find Hope in Hopeless Times

When we are presented with bad times, our initial response is most likely to grieve and/or complain. Rejoicing in our suffering is probably the last thing that comes to mind. But God wants us to trust in Him that He is doing redemptive work. He is using these trials to mold us and shape us into the image of Jesus. God will comfort you in your suffering and by His grace will deliver you from it.

God uses suffering to make us rely on His presence. Job trusted God despite his horrific circumstances. He had the hope of eternal life. Hope that God would be with him every step of the way and that He was in control. That’s the kind of faith we need – hope that shines brighter than the crazy trials of life. Whatever you are facing, don’t give up but give it to God. When you are weak, then He is strong. You have to rely on His presence, His provision, and His power. 

Furthermore, Paul used his difficult circumstances to glorify God (Philippians 1:12-13). He chose to be better instead of bitter. Paul was confident that God would deliver him from current trials and into eternal glory. You see, even during the darkest seasons, God is doing the deepest work in us. Let God use you to increase your faith and advance the gospel here on earth. God is working for a higher plan and a higher purpose for your life. 

God Is Our Only Hope

In the midst of chaos we need hope, a solid foundation on which we can stand. God is our only hope. He understands our feelings of being overwhelmed and hopeless. God hears our cries for help. He is the only consistent factor in this crazy, chaotic world. God is our source of comfort and hope in the midst of affliction and adversity. 

Our hope is found in the saving actions of His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, the faithful One who brings all to completion. We have hope on the cross. Hope that Jesus has all authority. He will come again and all will be made right. And He gives us hope right now. His hope is everlasting and for eternity. Turn to Jesus, put your hope and faith in Him, the One who is the same today, tomorrow and forever (Hebrews 13:8). 

Furthermore, Jesus reigned victorious on the cross and opened up the ability for us to live in the Spirit of that victory. So while fear and hopelessness in our trials may remain with us, as children of God these feelings and circumstances will never reign. By union with Christ, we can wage war against those feelings of hopelessness that are meant to destroy us. We can overcome because He has the power and authority over all. 

God is Our Comforter

God is our comforter. He meets us in the midst of the storm. God’s presence in our lives changes our perspective. It helps us to depend on Him and be comforted by His loving, warm embrace. We can have hope in the goodness and wisdom of God. In Psalm 23:4, David writes that he does not fear because God is with him. He relies on God’s presence and it brings him strength and comfort. He is making us stronger than we have ever been. 

“Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. 

When Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross, He made the power of the Holy Spirit available for our help and comfort. God is still empowering His children with the Holy Spirit through repentance and faith in Jesus. So while we are faced with the absence of His physical presence, God’s people now enjoy the comforting guidance strengthening of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Our hope is certain because God’s love is assured to us by the Holy Spirit’s ministry within our hearts. 

Standing On God’s Promises

God has plans for you. It is a good plan, one with a secure future. God knows your future and is planning better than anyone else could ever for your life. We have a future hope in Him. He promises us all-consuming, unconditional love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. His promises are for blessings, and for hope, and for a brighter future and for glory in heaven. We need to internalize these promises and trust in them. When our hope is in the Lord and we stand firm on God’s promises, we will experience a rock-solid hope.

Hope is for now, it is for today, and it is for tomorrow too. It is without end and will stay with us until Jesus comes again. In our current circumstances, God is saying to us His grace is sufficient. The strength to endure is supplied by God. He promises us that we will see His goodness in this life. Therefore, we approach the trials and suffering in our lives knowing that God will empower and ultimately glorify those who remain steadfast under the weight of their present suffering (Romans 5:3-5). In Him, we have a future and a hope.

**Verses used in this post were taken from the HSCB Translation.