Need Hope and Joy? Do This Now!
It can be hard to accurately express our feelings in words, especially when we’re struggling.
It’s the time of year when we hear the words ‘hope’ and ‘joy’ more often. Although we want to enjoy both, many of us face the holidays thinking about loved ones we miss every day—people who are absent due to death, distance, or choice.
Maybe that describes your situation. And it doesn’t help to see those perfect, happy family photos online or with cards.
When our family pictures have missing people, when our hearts ache and our bodies hurt, when the holidays aren’t what we wanted and prayed for, it’s time to remember that…
There aren’t any perfect, happy families in real life.
Our Pastor used to say, “I know you all, and every one of you is going through something difficult.”
We all live in a broken, messed-up world. A world full of broken promises, illness, and loss.
But even in our messes and our missing, we can choose hope and joy. We can pause to praise and worship the One who knows and understands our pain, loves and forgives our flaws and failures, and promises us a glorious eternal future.
The Psalmist wrote…
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their Helper,
Psalm 146:5–6
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
Paul prayed the following for believers in Rome…
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
But how? How do we know God as our helper and source of hope and joy?
We surrender our problems and our pain to Him.
I can tell you from experience that it may mean running to Him in prayer many times throughout a day.
But…
Praise God, He welcomes those prayers and promises to help.
Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
Psalm 55:22 (CSB)
Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:8-9
The Lord may not change your circumstances, or mine, but He promises to give us the strength we need to endure them one moment at a time.
Paul also wrote…
Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray.
James 5:13
God will give us the strength we need to live this moment with hope and joy. He will graciously give us what we need to keep our hearts and minds fully focused on Him.
Let’s pray…
A Prayer for Help to Have
Hope and Joy
Father God, You are our source of hope and joy. In Jesus, You gave us everything we need to live with joy today and hope for the future. Thank You!
Please forgive me for the many times I compare my brokenness and loss to other people’s pretty posts and pictures. I’m guilty of comparing the difficult details of my story to the happy highlights of someone else’s.
Help me remember that everyone experiences pain in their lives. Everyone sins, and everyone hurts. The things of this life can only offer us momentary happiness; they cannot provide lasting hope and joy.
With Your Spirit’s help, I will focus my attention on Your love and promises. I will stop comparing myself to others, and I will count my blessings. I will bring my failures to You quickly and ask for Your forgiveness. I will carry my burdens to my Savior, Jesus, asking Him to lighten my load and help me endure.
I believe Your grace is sufficient for every need, and Your strength is made perfect in my weakness. Through Your gracious love, You give me everything I need to live this day with peace and security. So, I will trust You, my firm foundation, my refuge, and place of safety.
I will pray with confidence, trusting that You will give me what I need in and through Jesus. Amen.
May we never stop turning to God in prayer, even when we can’t find the words.
Remember…
The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
Romans 8:26
And…
My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19 (NIV)
You and I are loved perfectly by the ultimate source of hope and joy. He alone is worthy of all our praise, worship, and trust.
May these words from Andrew Murray encourage you…
Do not strive in your own strength; cast yourself at the feet of the Lord Jesus, and wait upon Him in the sure confidence that He is with you, and works in you. Strive in prayer; let faith fill your heart, so you will be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.
May the Lord bless you with everything you need to live with hope and joy today and always.
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This really touched me and hit home. It is difficult when we don’t have loved ones here for one reason or the other. And very painful. The one thing for sure is Jesus and his love for us. I have struggled for the last few years over a split in a family relationship. A split the I yet do not understand. Praying and reaching out to God has been a daily matter. Someone dear to me and knows the situation firsthand and has seen the grief and pain it has caused me has said it would take “divine intervention” to get to the ones hurting me. I believe now that the “divine intervention” has taken place, in me not them. In one verse in Hebrews, it says that God will take away anything that is harmful to you and leave the good. I believe that this has happened for me. We can have love, lots of love for the person, but sometimes it is in our best interest that we are separated. The “divine intervention” is keeping this person away. God loves us both, I know that. I just feel that in HIS GREAT WISDOM HE doesn’t want to see me hurt anymore in the way they have hurt me. And knowing this person, I know that every time I let my guard down, I will be hurt again. My spouse sees this very clearly.
Now, for the joy part. I am an old lady, and I find joy in every day. Just being able to get up and get out of bed and get going is joyous and I thank HIM every morning! You know Deb, God is truly good! And so are you, my friend. Thankful and joyous for your “Counting My Blessings “posts each week and for your friendship.
Sue, you shared this so beautifully. You know I’ve been through similar circumstances and I completely agree. It was through that painful loss that God reached out and showed me His strength, filling my heart with longing and love for Him. I once felt the Lord tell me that I have no idea of the countless ways He’s protected me. It’s possible that things that feel like our greatest losses are His greatest forms of protection. Thank you for your consistent encouragement. I am so very blessed by your friendship. Blessings and hugs!
True hope and joy are found only in the Lord. Such wonderful reminders and encouragement today, Deb. Blessings!
Thank you, Martha! God’s blessings!
Thank you Deb for your wonderful words, especially your prayers to Our Dear Father God. I pray that my faith be strengthened!!. May God Bless You!!!.
Thank you, Jack! I am blessed by your kind encouragement. I pray that God will be with you and continue to grow your faith in Him. God bless you!
Thanks Deb!!!. I also pray that God will be with You as well,.. Always and Forever!!!…. Constantly,.. Amen. Be with God. By the Grace of God!!.