When You Feel Like All Hope is Lost

What do you do when you feel like all hope is lost? When everything you believed in, everything you trusted in, everything you put your hope in is gone?

First, lets define hope using the The New Strong’s Concordance:

Definition of Hope – to anticipate, (usually with pleasure) expectation or confidence – faith, hope, trust. To expect, gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for,on,upon)

Opposite of Hope (Hopelessness) – to desist (cease,abstain), to despond (become dejected and lose confidence); (cause to) despair, one that is desperate, be of no hope.

As a Christian, my hope has always been in Jesus Christ and the word of God. Even in the season of my life I turned my back on God’s ways I always knew he was there. I always had that hope that he was watching over me and that one-day things would be better.

But when that hope in God and his promises were gone my world came crashing down and for the first time I experienced true hell on this earth. Everything, and I mean everything I trusted in and put my hope in came crashing down around me and I was left void, without feeling and in a pit of despair.

View my video testimony here

It was January 2007, I had just lost my mom to cancer, my Christmas vacation consisted of my children having to leave me and go to their dad’s for the holidays and while visiting my sister our van broke down not once, not twice but THREE times in one trip and costing us over $3,500 to fix (of which we did not have and had to borrow the money).

I had never felt so alone, so betrayed, so unloved, so cursed in all my life. I just wanted to end my life and be done with it. I remember it so clearly. I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor, preparing the house so that when I was gone my husband Billy didn’t have to worry about doing it.

I remember thinking that my whole life was wrapped up in this God who was in the sky and even though there were moments in my life I knew he talked to me I just didn’t trust anymore. I couldn’t continue to put my hope in him if he was going to disappoint me like he had been.

That’s when it hit me.

All hope was gone! There was no hope for a better tomorrow…there was no hope for a better year… there was no hope that I would make it to heaven… there was no hope that my mom was in heaven… there was no hope in the God I had trusted all this time, there was no hope at all. When I looked at the future I saw darkness, loneliness, hopelessness and I realized then that without hope life sucks!

I cried out to God, right there on my hands and knees and asked him to show himself to me. I told him that if he was God and had created me and wanted me on this earth for a reason to reveal himself to me in a way that my hope would never be gone again.

Boy has he ever answered that prayer!!!

Something changed in me the moment I cried out. Hope sprang back to life within my soul. Day by day I got stronger. I could feel the prayers of my family and friends because like James 5:16 says “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

I was able to pick up my bible again and rebuild my relationship with my heavenly Father.

Steps I took to strengthen my Hope and Faith

O Give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy (lovingkindness) endureth for ever.

Did you know that Psalm 107 might be a Psalm of thanksgiving but it also revealed to me what happens in time of distress. This Psalm was one of the first set of scriptures that I read when I picked up my bible again.

I realized that these were the steps God was taking me through and I began to Praise him for all that he had done for me and was going to do for me.

1. Cry unto the Lord in your trouble 

Look at Psalm 107:5 & 6 – “Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.”
Now Psalm 107:12 & 13 – “Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
And again Psalm 107:18 & 19 – “Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he seventh them out of their distresses.”
And finally Psalm 107:27 & 28 – “They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken manned, and are at their wit’s end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.”

2. Take the Lord’s hand and allow him to bring you out of the darkness

Let’s look at Psalm 107:7 – “And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.”
Psalm 107:14 – “He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake (broke their chains in pieces) their bands in sunder.”
Psalm 107:20 – “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”
Psalm 107:29 – “He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.”

3. Praise the Lord for what he has done for you
Psalm 107:8,15,21 & 31 – “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (lovingkindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”

You know what these scriptures showed me?

That my God leads me in the way I should go, he satisfies my longing soul and fills it with goodness, he breaks me out of my chains of bondage, he heals me and delivers me from destruction, he makes the storms of life calm and brings me to a quiet place of rest.

It shows me that he LOVES me and no matter what comes my way he will always be right there with open arms waiting for me. 

If you have lost hope or feel like you are pretty darn close to it I highly suggest these best selling books on hope and encouragement. 

And as always, if you need prayer for anything let me know in the comments and I will pray with/for you. 

Be Blessed,
Audrey

4 thoughts on “When You Feel Like All Hope is Lost”

    1. Praying for you and your family right now Monica.
      Remember God is faithful and he sent his word and it will not return to him void. He will accomplish whatever he promised you.

      Be blessed,
      Audrey

  1. its covid 2020. Im 67 and living in a motel with my 47 year old son. I’ve been living in motels and off and on with my daughters for 5 years now. He lost his job, his wife, his home and it took him years to rebound but hes working again. My 45 year old son is up for parole in CA. We are in WV. He wants to come home but doesnt have a hometo come home to. I cant seem to find any place to live though I have the money to do so. I also have had eviction in the past and my credit is bad. My daughter doesnt want to keep living with her boyfriend but shes disabled and cant pay expenses on her home. I can’t help my children who so desperately need help. I don’t sleep well because of all of this. I try to keep the faith but it seems like there is something blocking our way. I feel myself slipping into despair as each week and month passes and nothing changes. I feel like such a loser though honestly I try so hard to get ahead. I pray, I fast. I believe. I read the word and even teach it but I’m so tired of living like a pauper and not being able to help my own family with sactuary when they need it. I just needed to share my burden with someone. I don’t have a church family.

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About Me

Audrey Ostoyic - Christian Lifestyle Woman Blogger

Hey there! Welcome to my little spot on the Internet where I get to share my love for the Footprints in the Sand Poem with all of you. I am a Pastor’s wife, Momma to 3 grown children, Grandma to 5 and a friend to all.

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