{"id":780,"date":"2019-03-31T08:00:39","date_gmt":"2019-03-31T13:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/?p=780"},"modified":"2019-03-29T22:39:40","modified_gmt":"2019-03-30T03:39:40","slug":"what-does-the-bible-say-about-hope-in-seasons-of-discouragement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/2019\/what-does-the-bible-say-about-hope-in-seasons-of-discouragement\/","title":{"rendered":"What does the Bible say about hope in seasons of discouragement?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u201cBut I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the LORD because He has dealt bountifully with me.\u201d Psalm\u00a013:5\u20136<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

There are many good people who believe in luck. I suppose it is because the human mind is wired to look for patterns. Some events happen to fall in such a way that our brain sees a pattern and we turn to luck to explain things. I am sure you have heard the expression, \u201cIt\u2019s just my luck that\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Believing in luck and becoming superstitious go hand in hand. Your innate search for patterns leads to your belief in \u201clucky\u201d things, like a rabbit\u2019s foot or a medal of a saint. \u201cUnlucky\u201d things like black cats, bad omens, or the number 13 are a fool\u2019s distractions. Coleman Cox is credited with saying, \u201cI am a great believer in luck, the harder I work, the more of it I seem to have.\u201d We might as well get used to it, there is no such thing as \u201cluck\u201d in the day to day events but that of your own making, good or bad.<\/p>\n

There is no such entity as \u201cluck\u201d bestowing bounties on some and withholding from others. This is an especially poignant maxim for a Christian. A Christian is uniquely loved by His all-knowing, all-powerful heavenly Father. His choosing of you has absolutely nothing to do with luck, it is all of grace. Such a heavenly Father surely will leave nothing to chance in your life. There is no room for superstitious notions or feeble explanations of life when you know you are the object of God\u2019s love.<\/p>\n

In times of discouragement, when the mind is doing its usual search for patterns and explanations, it is wise to turn to Psalm\u00a013. Do not let the number fool you, it is not unlucky, it is anything but! Perhaps this number with a spurious reputation may help you remember the gems of truth God has for you when you are discouraged!<\/p>\n

David was not unaccustomed to seasons of bad times, and he was also the recipient of good fortune. But we never hear one hint in his writings that he thought he had good or bad luck. Instead we are treated to a constant stream of revelation about his relationship with God. Lean times and fat times, in weal or in woe, David carries his burdens to the Lord and he carries away hope and blessing in exchange.<\/p>\n

Psalm\u00a013 is especially valuable when believers face lonely times in \u201cdesert places.\u201d MacArthur study Bible provides an interesting outline for this six-verse psalm: verses\u00a01 and\u00a02, \u201cBelow Sea Level\u201d Expressions of Despair; verses\u00a03 and\u00a04, \u201cSea Level\u201d Expressions of Desires; and verses\u00a05 and\u00a06, \u201cMountaintop Level\u201d Expressions of Delight. The psalm does rise from the depths of desperation through dolorous prayer to the heights of faith in praise. David\u2019s psalm moves from \u201chow long,\u201d to \u201cgive me light,\u201d to \u201clet me sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Any believer who has lived long enough runs through rough patches. Some bad times may be of long duration. Thoughts begin to crowd into the mind and drown out the fires of faith. Questions gain a voice like \u201cFather, how long before you remember me?\u201d or \u201cHow long before you restore my fellowship with you?\u201d or \u201cHow long before you give me rest?\u201d and \u201cHow long before you vindicate my faith in you?\u201d These questions are echoed in David\u2019s first two verses.<\/p>\n

The significance of David\u2019s words are underscored by invoking the name Jehovah. God\u2019s covenant-keeping and special relationship with His people is revealed in that name. \u201cHow long, O LORD?\u201d is certainly a familiar refrain in the hearts of many of God\u2019s people throughout the centuries. The four anxious questions put words to David\u2019s depression borne out of impatience. \u201cWill You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps similar sentiments are washing over your soul today. Thoughts run through the fevered mind chasing each other, one after another. God\u2019s hidden face is associated with alienation and curse while His shining face is associated with blessing. In this \u201cbelow sea-level\u201d anxiety and despair, David\u2019s lesson is to look up from the cares that overwhelm you toward the Lord of Light! These \u201chow long\u201d questions will only serve to act as a parachute for a believer, slowing his descent. Intercession is the updraft that enables a believer to gain altitude in trying times.<\/p>\n

There is no faltering in David\u2019s voice in verses\u00a03 and\u00a04. \u201cConsider and hear me, O LORD my God; enlighten my eyes\u2026.\u201d Jehovah is still his focus, but the relationship of the servant to his Master is in the words \u201cO LORD my God.\u201d God is his caregiver, provider, and helper. God answers prayer; never lose hope in His character and His love for your soul. What you are going through is not bad luck, it is the refiner\u2019s fire.<\/p>\n

David continues to move upward, now not in an updraft but with wings, \u201cBut I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me.\u201d When cares of life weigh you down, take time to trust, rejoice in your salvation, count God\u2019s blessings, and do some singing with a full heart of thanksgiving. Take courage, God will retrieve you from the refiner\u2019s fire in His time. Trust and obey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cBut I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the LORD because He has dealt bountifully with me.\u201d Psalm\u00a013:5\u20136 There are many good people who believe in luck. I suppose it is because the human mind is wired to look for patterns. Some events happen to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}