Day 4: Hang On, Things Will Get Better

Hopelessness says: “There is no point in trying anymore.”

GOD SAYS: “…weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5 NIV).

There is joy to be had. Despite appearances, despite circumstances, joy is at the door. That’s a fact in God’s Kingdom. The amazing thing about the Lord’s joy is that it can bloom even amid sorrow. That’s because it’s not rooted in hoped-for circumstances but grounded in the presence of God.

We typically see hope as anticipation for something specific. We look ahead, hoping for a desire to come true. When it doesn’t, it’s hard. The Bible agrees. It says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12 TLV). But what if we turned our eyes from hoping for something to hoping in Someone?

What we focus on grows in our perception. When we’re willing to surrender our hope for an outcome and seek intimacy with God instead, trusting Him regardless, He sustains us. He offers us His strength, His joy, and His love. In every situation. In every moment.

Let God use your broken dream. Let Him use this tired-of-waiting, tired-of-trying state to open your heart to a new hope that He longs to show you. The Psalms tell us that joy is found in God’s presence. And He is always with you. He does not abandon His children, and He is right there with you to help you through this season of despair.

All you have to do is get through today – or this evening, this hour, or the next ten minutes. Fix your eyes on God. Immerse yourself in the awareness of His presence. Review and review again verses that tell you of His love. Hope in His promised presence. Enjoy His presence. Let Him comfort you. Let Him renew your strength. The next hour, tomorrow, do the same.

God has something good and beautiful for you every single day. Even this day. The effort to shift your focus to Him is worth it. So, keep looking for and to Him. Hang in there, and hang your hope on Him alone. There is joy to be had, and He wants it for you.

Prayer

Father, strengthen our friend to pursue an awareness of Your presence. Comfort them. Stir their heart with hope. Grow their desire to trust You and Your great love for them. Help them to look for You every hour.