How to Recover Our Sense of Hope

In these challenging times we live in, we often need to recover our sense of hope.

Here is a sneak peek of my guest post at Medium.com for Devotable about God’s encouragement for when our sense of hope diminishes.

When Our Sense of Hope Diminishes

Watching the beautiful photos of our last vacation together, a bitter-sweet pain pierced my heart. I will never again go on holiday with my husband. My mind drifted to all the lost hopes and dreams we had together–the hope to start a family business, the hope to retire and move to my home country, the hope to spend more time traveling. All hopes vanished with his unexpected death. I was left alone, my heart reeling with pain and grief. When I tried to imagine my future, I saw only blackness and emptiness. My sense of hope grew weak.

Perhaps it is not the death of a loved one that has diminished your sense of hope. We all tend to place hope in someone or something. This could be a spouse, a parent, a child, a friend, a job, savings, our health, our abilities, etc. We naturally place at least some hope in our situations, circumstances, and relationships. When any of these things are threatened or taken from us, our sense of hope diminishes and our hearts tend to plummet. But when our sense of hope is strong, we thrive inside.

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How to Recover Our Sense of Hope

So, how can we recover our sense of hope? Here is how the psalmist encourages his soul:

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:11)

We need to move from our temporary hopes to permanent hope. God has placed eternity in our hearts, the longing for something more than the eye meets. He beckons us to put our hope in the only one thing that doesn’t change and lives forever: God Himself.

We need to move from our temporary hopes to permanent hope. @devotableapp #hope #encouragement #trustGod Share on X

Three Simple Steps to Strengthen Our Sense of Hope

This verse shows us three simple steps to recover and strengthen our sense of hope.

#1 Acknowledge and Express Our Feelings

The first step is to acknowledge and express our feelings of sadness, disappointments, and distress, stemming from our lost hopes, and take the time to grieve our disappointments.

Many of our temporary hopes will not be fulfilled. We need to identify these sources of disappointment and regret and release them to God in prayer.

Read the rest of the post and find out about the other two ways at Medium.com and be strengthened and encouraged.

More Encouragement to Recover Your Sense of Hope

If you need more resources to encourage you in your sea of trouble, I can highly recommend these books. Check them out.

The Book of Comforts by Hadassah Treu

Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings by Hadassah Treu

A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows through Loss by Jerry L. Sittser

A Grace Revealed: How God Redeems the Story of Your Life by Jerry L. Sittser

Restoration Year – a 365 Days Devotional by John Eldredge

All Things New by John Eldredge

It’s not supposed to Be This Way by Lisa Terkeurst

The Grief Guidebook: Common Questions, Compassionate Answers, Practical Suggestions by Gary Roe

Grieving the Write Way Journal and Workbook by Gary Roe

Suffering and the Heart of God by Diane Langberg

Hope When Life Unravels: Finding God When It Hurts by Adam Dooley

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Your Turn

Which of these ways to recover your hope spoke most to you? Share in the comments. If you found this article helpful, share it on social media. Thanks!

Here are 3 simple steps to recover and strengthen our sense of hope. @devotableapp #hope #encouragement #trustGod Share on X

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