Feeling Discouraged? Finding Hope in All Seasons

The season is changing. Right now, the warm days of summer are waning as autumn approaches. Here in Colorado that means bright yellow aspens, endless blue skies and cooler days.

In nature, and in life, seasons change. Life is hard, then good, then challenging again. But no matter what season of life you’re in, you can choose to stay connected to God and have hope.

Here’s a true story that will shed some light on finding HOPE:

When I was growing up in Wisconsin, I’d often ride my bike past our neighborhood’s apple orchard. In every season I’d watch changes take place: from the sweet-smelling apple blossoms that burst forth in springtime…to the warm summer days climbing their gnarly branches…to the crisp days of autumn when we’d pick and eat fresh, ripe apples.  

All year long, we’d wait with expectancy for the fruit to come. Growing took time, but it was always worth the wait. 

As you release your cares to God, talking with Him about your worries and fears, you are planting seeds of faith in the soil of hope—faith that one day your seed prayers will grow and come to fruition. That’s the nature of hope, believing God will provide, that He will answer above and beyond what you’ve asked for.  

You just never know; you may get one fruit-bearing tree or an entire apple orchard—bushel baskets of answered prayers. Deuteronomy 16:15 encourages us, “For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.”  

And so we pray. And as we wait on God, we mature. We grow up on the inside. Character is formed and trust grows. Just as we anticipate the day when round, red fruit will ripen, we look forward with hope to the moment our answers will ready for picking.  

You and I may be praying about the same thing, but our answers may look different—just like apple trees bear Braeburn, Macintosh or Red Delicious—all kinds of apples.  

We wait with hope, expectant that good things will happen. That one day things will be different, better.  

Sometimes, however, we are afraid to hope. We’ve been disappointed and we simply don’t want to be hurt again. But what makes the difference is when we know on whom we wait and to whom we give our trust—God Almighty.   

We need to know how infinitely good God is. We need to know how much he truly loves us, and that He cares, even when we don’t get what we’ve asked for. It’s not because God is mean or He is withholding from you. It’s because of His love for you that He gives you what you need; He is protecting and providing for you even when you cannot see.  

This side of heaven we live with the mystery of God’s ways. Why does He do what He does? Why didn’t he prevent that tragedy? Why, Lord, why? We can know Christ, but we cannot always be privy to His thoughts. At least, for now.  

Wild hope is planting seeds of faith and expecting orchards of blessings. It’s courageous and expectant—and celebratory—knowing that your great expectations aren’t too large for the great, big God we serve. We can have this kind of hope because of Jesus Christ, because of what He has done for us dying on a wooden cross and rising again glorious and alive!  

Jesus Christ is the true Wild Hope. Unpredictable? Yes. Unexpected? Certainly. He goes far beyond what we can imagine, and leads us into a future we never could’ve dreamed.

In times of defeat, doubt or discouragement, pray.

In times of joy and victory, pray.

Know that your prayers really do make a difference.

Trust the God of abundance, the God of so much more.  

Harvest time is coming.

 

Discouraged? Here's Wild Hope for Hard Times

Garden of the Gods Park, Colorado Springs

Where I live in Colorado there’s an extraordinary park with gigantic natural red rocks called Garden of the Gods. Some areas are not open to the public because they need repair. A sign posted there reads, “Area Under Reclamation.” In other words, “Don’t walk here; we’re fixing this section.”  

Just as the land needs ecological restoration, the landscape of your heart may need some spiritual restoration—and often emotional and physical changes as well. The good news is that both landscapes and lives be transformed.  

Restoration is possible, but often we lose sight of how it happens. We lose sight of hope.  

 

Focused solely on our circumstances our view becomes myopic; we see only part of the picture. For example, if you took a photograph of a desert landscape, all you’d see in the four-by-six inch photo would be your perspective from one viewpoint: some sand, cactus and a bit of tumbleweed blowing in the distance.  

But the picture doesn’t tell the whole story. What you couldn’t see beyond the edges of your snapshot was an oasis just ahead, or the desert’s end.  

There’s more to the landscape, and there’s more to your life. Beyond the snapshot in your mind of how you feel at this moment—beyond your discouragement or desperation—there is hope ahead.  

You can have hope in hard times, and in all times, when you know more fully the One in whom we put our hope. Jesus Christ, our Wild Hope. He is “wild” in the sense that He is passionate and powerful—adoring and authoritative—yet often unpredictable.  

Isaiah 55:8 reminds us, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD.” While His ways are often surprising, He acts out of ultimate love. Hope that is wild is extravagant; it is beyond your wildest dreams.  

Restoring the landscape of your life and getting through tough times comes through prayer. Talking with God, and listening. A simple, but holy, conversation.  

A prayer-filled life is a powerful life. It will help you to stand strong in tough times.

 

When you pray, your life—and the lives of those around you—will be forever changed. You will be inspired to live with greater peace, restored hope, and more freedom.

You will discover wild hope through your connection with Jesus Christ—a hope so unexpected yet so wonderfully good, that when you begin to grasp it your life just may be transformed into one of startling kindness, lavish love, and limitless possibilities.  

Now that’s the kind of hope I can hold onto. How about you?

 

Standing Strong in Hard Times

Standing strong in hard times isn’t just for other people. You can be an overcomer! You may feel like you’re living in a black and white world, but God wants to bring back the living color.

 

As you learn to believe God and bask in His presence, you’ll discover wild hope—hope beyond your wildest imagination. When life tries to drag you down, you make new choices and keep telling yourself the truth.

 

Basking in His presence

You can tell yourself the truth in many ways. When you read the Bible, God’s truth in written form, consider reading the words out loud. When you pray—which is talking with God—you might choose to speak out loud instead of praying silently to yourself.

 

Or, write your prayers in a journal or notebook. Remember and record the good things He’s done, and how He’s come through for you in the past.

 

Read the Psalms for healing words of hope in hard times and discouragement. Like Psalm 32:7, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

 

Remember that the Lord really just wants to spend time with you. He wants you to linger, to “hang out,” to bask.

 

Think of the most beautiful full moon you’ve seen. Perhaps it’s a harvest moon hanging low in the October night sky. The moon reflects the light of the sun because it has “basked” in its brightness. And in the dark of night it shines brightly.

 

Likewise, as we bask in the light of the Son, Jesus Christ—as we spend time abiding—His light will shine brighter through us.

 

Having wild hope

Wild hope means hoping anyways, even when you feel you haven’t got a chance. It is daring to believe that God will come through for you even in your toughest times.

 

You never know where help will come from. It just may surprise you who (or what) God will use to bring relief to your situation. It may be something tangible like a hug from a friend or an unexpected check in the mail. Liberation may come from acceptance of the situation, or from forgiving someone who’s wronged you.

 

Believe God, bask in His presence, and pray, expecting things to change. Then, one day you will begin to feel something unusual: joy. Darkness begins to flee as the sunshine of hope rises in your heart like the dawn of a new day.

 

Dare to believe that the One who can do anything is at work even now restoring you and rebuilding your life.