Prayer when you lose all hope
Written by: Vivian Bricker, Reading by: Leah Girard
Bible reading: “Fill thee with all joy and peace, as the God of Hope trusts you. – Romans 15:13
Read or listen to the following:
Whenever I’m suffering from depression, I tend to lose all hope. Anyone who has suffered from depression or has seen someone suffering from depression knows that this mood disorder can give you a sense of hope. Sadly, even those who do not suffer from depression can lose all hope. This is part of life in a fallen world. Something terrible happens and they make us feel hopeless.
A simple scrolling on social media or a quick TV check of local news can show catastrophic information. Children were accused, women were murdered, and men were victims of robbery. All of this enters our lives by clicking the button with ease. We don’t ask for this information, but we are constantly struck by news of war, illness and death. It’s not surprising that most of us sometimes feel hopeless.
When you start to feel hopeless, you can feat in despair or feed God. If you choose the former, life will be difficult. The choices are ours every day. To be honest, I often chose the former when times are very difficult. I chose to lean towards despair in place of God.
Because of my situation I totally believed that things would never get better. I have not lost hope in God, but I have lost hope in myself. But we need to rely on God rather than relying on ourselves. Even if we struggle to have hope for ourselves, we can always have hope in God. The more we find hope and confidence in God, the more we know that God is working in us, so we can think positively about ourselves. God does not want us to become our own worst enemy, and we do not want us to become our biggest critics. Instead, he wants us to want him to work in our lives to bring about our good.
The apostle Paul said, “Fill you with all joy and peace, so that God of hope trusts you, so that you may embrace hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
We learn a lot from this passage. For one thing, we see that God is the “God of Hope.” Second, we learn that God fills us with all joy and peace, just as we trust Him. Third, this is all done so that our hearts overflow with hope from the Holy Spirit. Therefore, through this passage we see that, as we trust God, God fills us with joy and peace, and by this, overflows with hope through the power of the Spirit.
To traverse this hope, we need to trust God. This is easier than ever to say, but the more you learn about God and study His Word, the more you trust him. If this has been hindering you for a long time, know that God can trust you.
God is our wonderful creator and friend. When you are thinking Romans 15:13, remember that God is the God of all hope. He can bring abundant hope, joy and peace to your life. All you have to do is trust him.
Let’s pray:
Dear God, I praise you for being God of all hope. Help me trust you more and never shake my faith. Bless me with your joy, peace and hope, just as I trust you. Life can sometimes feel hopeless, but I know you can be totally trusted. I praise you, amen.
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