Tag Archives: hope

Can You Really Find Hope In a Crisis?

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two people in masks sharing a drink during a crisis
photo credit: cottonbro

Whew! What a week! Does this picture say it all or what? As everything seems to be falling apart around us, I just wanted to remind us of three truths that can bring hope during this crisis.

God Hasn’t Forgotten You

I am here to remind you that God hasn’t forgotten you. He sees what your family is going through. Knowing the future, He can see how this loss of income is going to set your family back. He knows that you are fearful for your family member with the weakened immune system.

Remember Hagar, from Genesis? Hagar was Sarah’s servant. When Sarah saw she couldn’t bear any children, she told her husband Abraham to sleep with Hagar. Hagar gets pregnant, and Sarah gets mad. Hagar experiences her own crisis. Sarah sends her out into the desert, and Hagar fears she and her son are going to die there. So Hagar sits down and cries. God comes to Hagar and tells her to go back to Abraham and Sarah. He tells her that He is going to bless her and her son. Hagar responds, “You are the God who sees me.”

She answered God by name, praying to the God who spoke to her, “You’re the God who sees me! Genesis 16:13 MSG

Hagar was amazed that God saw her in her time of need. El Roi is the Hebrew name for God meaning, “the God who sees me.” In the midst of this crisis, be reminded that God sees you. He hasn’t forgotten you, and He will see you through this difficult time.

God is Still Good

One of my favorite songs right now is I Know by Big Daddy Weave. Here are the words to the chorus.

I know that you are good
I know that you are kind
I know that you are so much more
Than what I leave behind
I know that I am loved
I know that I am safe
Cause even in the fire to live is Christ, to die is gain
I know that you are good

I Know by Big Daddy Weave

The lyrics don’t do it justice. You need to listen to it! When life goes crazy all around us, we are tempted to look around and question God’s goodness. We think thoughts like, “If God were good, He wouldn’t…” Consequently, this just makes us more discouraged. Don’t let your mind go there. Instead, choose to focus on God’s goodness.

An easy way to focus on God’s goodness is to take five minutes each morning in the days and weeks to come to write down three things you are thankful for. After a few days of this, you will begin to remember that God’s goodness is interwoven into every area of our lives.

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13 KJV

If we choose not to believe in God’s goodness, we will give up and feel powerless to move forward. We have to focus on God’s goodness. Remind ourselves of who He is, and focus on Him, not our circumstance.

This Will Come to End

The coronavirus crisis won’t last forever. Soon enough, we will be wearing t-shirts that say, “I Survived the Coronavirus of 2020!” Just like everything else in life, this will pass. Peter reminds us of this in I Peter.

Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: I Peter 1:6 KJV

The three words for a season reminds us that nothing is forever. Trials and hard times come and go. Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes that there is a season and a time for everything. Just as God has gotten you through trials in the past, He will carry you through this crisis.

When we understand that God hasn’t forgotten us, choose to focus on God’s goodness, and remember this won’t last forever, we can find the hope we need to get through this crisis.

Othe Encouragement

If you enjoyed this post, check out my book, The Hidden Pain: When You Fear God Is No Longer Blessing Your Life. This book is an encouragement for anyone going through a difficult season, and that includes all of us right now.

When God Finds Us

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a girl sits alone
photo credit: Brooke Cagle

Almost every morning, Matt gets his Bose speaker and turns it up to play this song as we start our day- Alive and Breathing by Matt Maher. Whenever that song comes on, I start smiling. Here are the words to the chorus.

Joy still comes in the morning
Hope still walks with the hurting
If you’re still alive and breathing
Praise the Lord
Don’t stop dancing and dreaming
There’s still Good News worth repeating
So lift your head and keep singing
Praise the Lord- Matt Maher

The words are such an encouragement and the music is upbeat. It’s the perfect song to start your day with. It puts a smile on my face and reminds me today is a new day. It’s another chance for God to work in my life and in my circumstances.

Where God Finds Us

As I think about those words, I think back to the verses I read in my morning time this week. I read the book of Hosea. Hosea writes a few verses about Jacob, the twin of Esau.

Brought to his knees,

    Jacob wept and prayed.

God found him at Bethel.

    That’s where he spoke with him.

God is God-of-the-Angel-Armies,

    God-Revealed, God-Known. Hosea 12:5 (MSG)

Where did God find Jacob? God found him on his knees weeping and praying. God often meets us in our darkest hours, when we’re brought to our knees. When everything in our life has fallen apart, and fear and desperation drive us to our knees, that ‘s where God finds us.

When God Finds Us

When God found Jacob, He spoke with him and revealed himself. We know the full story. God wrestled with Jacob. Jacob refused to let God go until God blessed him. God will find you in your time of need. He will speak to you, and He will reveal Himself to you. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but God will find you and reveal Himself to you. How do I know this? Because that’s what God has done for me time and time again.

How God Finds Us

There are so many different ways God can find us and reveal Himself to us. Here are just a few of the ways God has revealed Himself to me over the years.

  1. Through His Word. God has encouraged my heart innumerable times through reading His Word during my morning time. There have been so many times that I read a verse during my morning time that brings tears to my eyes and reminds me that God loves me and is for me. Read My Best Tips for an Effective Morning Time to get your own morning time started.
  2. In church. So often, God will use the words that Matt says on a Sunday morning to bring a sense of peace and comfort to my heart. He will say a phrase or explain a verse that God knew I needed to hear that day.
  3. Through the words of a book. So often, someone else’s story will remind me of God’s unfailing goodness and faithfulness. Sometimes the book reminds me that I have life so good and reminds me to be thankful for my life, my health, and the blessings around me.
  4. Through a blog post. I subscribe and get lots of emails from bloggers in my inbox. Often God uses the words of a particular blog post to encourage me.
  5. Through a podcast. Many times I have found myself crying while washing the dishes as I listen to a pastor preach or someone tell their story of God’s faithfulness to them during a trial.

**Click HERE for my book, blog, and podcast recommendations**

He Will Find You

In the hardest seasons of my life, I have fallen on my knees and prayed and wept. God has found me there and wrapped his loving arms around me. It may be through His Word, a sermon, a book, a blog post, a podcast, or some other form; but he will find a way to remind me of his goodness and faithfulness.

I don’t know what you are going through today or what may be in your future, but I know that God will come to you when you need Him the most. When you find yourself on your knees weeping and praying, that’s where He will find you. Then He will reveal Himself to you. He will remind you that He loves you and is for you, and He hasn’t forgotten you.