My Hope

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard presses on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also me revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that this life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

 

Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

 

2 Corinthians 4:7-12, 16-18

Do you often find yourself feeling beaten and broken? Is your heart weary and crushed? Do things in this world leave you feeling perplexed? At this moment, do you feel as if you have been struck down and the world is crumbling down around you?

So often times in this life, things do not make sense and we find ourselves wondering how we got to this point in our life. We feel broken and bruised and abandoned and the only out we see is to just give up. Moreover, we often times find ourselves losing hope.

At one time or another, we have all probably found ourselves at this very place in our lives searching for some kind of truth that will bring us comfort, hope and direction. We often submerge ourselves in things like internet, TV, video games, music or books hoping for an escape or maybe even looking for answers. We become so full of the world that we lose the clear picture of what truth really looks like and only find ourselves more lost and alone than before we started. Our lives become full of the world and there is no room left within us for the truth of God's word. We are such broken vessels, just crooked jars of clay, looking for purpose, meaning and love. We go to all the wrong places and rely on all the wrong things only to find ourselves disappointed and still searching.

God has given us the most beautiful love letter in the world. This letter is God-breathed and speaks to our very hearts if we are open and receptive to what it has to say. That love letter is His word, the Bible and it offers hope, love, comfort, encouragement, direction and is full of promise.

God does not ever intend for us to walk the path of life alone and wants to always be by our side above all else but it is up to us as to whether or not we will allow Him to take that place and to pick us up and carry us when we have fallen.

When we find ourselves discouraged and broken, we should turn to the One who holds our joy and contentment. We should willingly lay down every care that we have at His feet and allow the joy of Lord to consume us and set us free. When we focus on His face and His word, allowing it to flow through us and choose not to allow the woes of life to bring us down, then we will experience an abundance of joy that can only come from looking into the face of our Heavenly Father and knowing and resting in His truth.