Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for opening your heart and letting us know about your layoff and the long season of waiting since last May. Losing a job you held for years brings real discouragement, and it is understandable that you are feeling your hope wear thin as financial pressure grows. We have prayed for you, for better employment very soon, for stability for your family, and that God would pour out His grace so you can continue to be generous to others.
The Bible describes hope as more than a wish. It is both a deep desire and a confident expectation. We desire to see God work, and we expect Him to work because He is faithful. That kind of hope is what keeps a person going when everything around them seems to be failing. It sustains us when we are tempted to give up.
The psalmist knew that feeling of heaviness and spoke to his own soul, asking why he was so cast down and disquieted within, and then he answered himself, hope in God. That is still the answer for discouragement and depression. Our hope is not ultimately in a job, an economy, or even in our own ability to provide, but in the Lord Himself. When our expectation is in Him, we can find steadiness even while we wait.
Scripture tells us that without God there is no real hope, but in Christ those who were far off have been brought near by His blood. Through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures we are given hope, because they reveal His character and His promises. One of those promises is that God, who cannot lie, has promised eternal life to those who trust in His Son. That promise gives us a living hope, made certain because Jesus rose from the dead. Peter says we have been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that we have an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled, reserved in heaven for us. That future is secure, and that security gives us joy and peace in the present.
Paul prays that the God of hope would fill us with all joy and peace in believing, so that we would abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Hope, when it is rooted in God, brings joy as we look forward to what He has planned, and peace even in a world full of turmoil. The psalmist also prayed, remember the word to your servant, upon which you have caused me to hope, and he found not only hope but comfort in that word. As you wait, let the Word of God remind you daily of His patience, His kindness, and His ability to meet your need.
We are also taught that we are saved by hope, and that hope that is seen is not hope. If we already saw the answer, we would not need to hope for it. But because we do not yet see it, we wait for it with patience. That waiting is not passive. The one who has this hope purifies himself and lives soberly and righteously in this present world, looking for the blessed hope of the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ and for the eternal life He has promised. Love, which remains with faith and hope, believes all things and embraces that expectation.
So in this season of looking for work, keep talking to your own heart as the psalmist did, and direct your desire and expectation toward the Lord. He is the God of all hope. He is patient, He is compassionate, and He has not forgotten your family. Ask Him each day to fill you with His joy and peace as you trust Him, and to lead you to the right employment where you can provide for your family and continue to bless others.
We join you in prayer now. Father, we lift up this dear one and this family to You in the name of Jesus. You see the months without steady work and the concern over finances. We ask that You would open a door to better employment very soon, work that is fitting and stable, and that You would provide for every need according to Your riches. Fill this heart with joy and peace in believing, and cause hope to abound by Your Holy Spirit. Give comfort through Your Word, strength to wait with patience, and grace to keep trusting Your promise of eternal life through Christ. Let Your blessings abound so this family may again share generously with others. We place our desire and our expectation in You, and we thank You that You are faithful. Amen.
The Bible describes hope as more than a wish. It is both a deep desire and a confident expectation. We desire to see God work, and we expect Him to work because He is faithful. That kind of hope is what keeps a person going when everything around them seems to be failing. It sustains us when we are tempted to give up.
The psalmist knew that feeling of heaviness and spoke to his own soul, asking why he was so cast down and disquieted within, and then he answered himself, hope in God. That is still the answer for discouragement and depression. Our hope is not ultimately in a job, an economy, or even in our own ability to provide, but in the Lord Himself. When our expectation is in Him, we can find steadiness even while we wait.
Scripture tells us that without God there is no real hope, but in Christ those who were far off have been brought near by His blood. Through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures we are given hope, because they reveal His character and His promises. One of those promises is that God, who cannot lie, has promised eternal life to those who trust in His Son. That promise gives us a living hope, made certain because Jesus rose from the dead. Peter says we have been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that we have an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled, reserved in heaven for us. That future is secure, and that security gives us joy and peace in the present.
Paul prays that the God of hope would fill us with all joy and peace in believing, so that we would abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Hope, when it is rooted in God, brings joy as we look forward to what He has planned, and peace even in a world full of turmoil. The psalmist also prayed, remember the word to your servant, upon which you have caused me to hope, and he found not only hope but comfort in that word. As you wait, let the Word of God remind you daily of His patience, His kindness, and His ability to meet your need.
We are also taught that we are saved by hope, and that hope that is seen is not hope. If we already saw the answer, we would not need to hope for it. But because we do not yet see it, we wait for it with patience. That waiting is not passive. The one who has this hope purifies himself and lives soberly and righteously in this present world, looking for the blessed hope of the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ and for the eternal life He has promised. Love, which remains with faith and hope, believes all things and embraces that expectation.
So in this season of looking for work, keep talking to your own heart as the psalmist did, and direct your desire and expectation toward the Lord. He is the God of all hope. He is patient, He is compassionate, and He has not forgotten your family. Ask Him each day to fill you with His joy and peace as you trust Him, and to lead you to the right employment where you can provide for your family and continue to bless others.
We join you in prayer now. Father, we lift up this dear one and this family to You in the name of Jesus. You see the months without steady work and the concern over finances. We ask that You would open a door to better employment very soon, work that is fitting and stable, and that You would provide for every need according to Your riches. Fill this heart with joy and peace in believing, and cause hope to abound by Your Holy Spirit. Give comfort through Your Word, strength to wait with patience, and grace to keep trusting Your promise of eternal life through Christ. Let Your blessings abound so this family may again share generously with others. We place our desire and our expectation in You, and we thank You that You are faithful. Amen.
