Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. (Psalm 31:24)
Hope, as defined by dictionary.com is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. Observing the human condition, both in and out of the “church” I find that many people are destitute of hope. Somehow, the energy to believe, desire and expect that better days are ahead has become a meaningless cliché to those whose hope has been snatched away.
Depression and despair seem to be the order of the day for souls both lost and found. By found I mean those who are believers in Christ as savior, but who – due to one or many compounding negative life events find themselves in a horrible pit of hopelessness. My heart breaks for God’s people who suffer from this very common condition of the soul. More devastating is that leaders in the Body of Christ struggle with the secret of depression and hopelessness but find in necessary to keep it to themselves for fear of exposure or worse.
A chronic state of hopelessness can be found anywhere you find people. It is one of the most effective weapons used by the enemy and is designed to discredit the word of God while at the same time squeeze the very life out of His people. The effectiveness of this strategy lies in the fact that many face it alone and in secret. “If you lose hope you lose the desire to live” – Pastor Kenneth Johnson
Unfortunately the end result of hopelessness for many has been the act of suicide. Because hope for a better and brighter future has become increasingly deficient in today’s world the desire to wait for that better day no longer exist for some. Sickness of the soul is often considered too heavy to bear and too much to endure. Proverbs 18:14 says “The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble, but a weak and broken spirit who can raise up or bear?” This condition of a broken spirit or what I call a sick soul is not by any means a new discovery within the human condition. You can find traces of depression, hopelessness and despair all the way back to the Garden of Eden.
Many of our heroes in society as well as in the bible have had encounters with the sickness derived from hopelessness and despair. I recall the Prophet Elijah praying for God to allow him to go to the grave with his fathers, (1 Kings 19:4) only God had a better plan. Our beloved King David encountered this soul sickness time and time again. At one point he wept until he had no more strength to weep. (1 Samuel 30:4) Verse 6 goes on to says that David encouraged himself in The Lord His God.
Psalm 42:9-11 paints quite a vivid picture of King David’s fight with hopelessness:
9 I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 10 As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God? 11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
News of pastors being driven to suicide causes me to gasp. Some of us may look at this and ask how it can happen, after all they look so happy and they were so anointed. The sad truth is people inside and outside the church are so often enamored by a person's public persona that the possibility that their private lives could be plagued with life and death struggles is unimaginable. In many cases we don't want to think of a person beyond their benefit to us whether on the stage, the big screen, the pulpit or the pew.
Reports like these cause me to take a closer look at those who surround me, from the pew to the pulpit. I am compelled to pay close attention to those who wear the mantle of public ministry because by virtue of their calling they are prime targets for Kingdom of darkness. Might I encourage you dear friends to pray that God will help you to be more watchful and prayerful for those around you, both in the pulpit and the pew?
If you are encountering a time of hopelessness and despair, allow me to comfort you with this prayer from Romans 15:13 (AMP) "May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope." Amen
Comments