Choosing Hope When Life Seems Hopeless

If you’ve watched any TV news lately, you’ve seen evidence of the stress and hopelessness many people are experiencing today. In addition to turmoil in the political world and threats of terrorism, many families are facing enormous challenges because of financial hardships, health problems, and broken relationships.

It’s not just the unbelievers who are encountering difficult times. I meet many Christians whose faith is being tested today. They’re at the end of their rope, tempted to give up hope and yield to despair.

If you’re entering this new year with fear or hopelessness, you need to know where to turn for help:

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord,the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2 NIV).

Friend, no matter what difficult circumstances you may be facing, God wants you to know you can turn to Him as your “very present help” in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). Even though you may feel surrounded by problems on every side, the Lord wants to be your Hope—“the One who lifts [your] head” (Psalm 3:3).

When the Brook Dries Up

Sometimes we forget that men and women in the Bible often went through trials very similar to those we face today. For example, even though God provided Elijah with food brought by ravens and water from a brook, “It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land” (1 Kings 17:7).

Have you ever felt like your brook dried up and God’s help and provision were nowhere to be found? Perhaps you’re feeling that way today, struggling to make ends meet and wondering whether God will be faithful to meet your needs.

At times like these, it’s important to remember that whenever you ask the Lord for a miracle, He will give you an instruction. In Elijah’s case, God told him to go to Zarephath:

“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you” (1 Kings 17:9).

Without debate or delay, Elijah “arose and went to Zarephath” (v. 10). He chose to obey, knowing that obedience was his only hope of unlocking God’s supernatural provision in his life.

It Only Takes a “Handful”

Just as Elijah had to choose whether or not to obey God’s instructions, so the widow he found in Zarephath faced a difficult decision when the prophet told her, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand” (v. 11).

This may not seem like a very difficult request, but you have to understand the woman’s situation:

“I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die” (v. 12).

What a dilemma. This widow had almost nothing left…only a handful of flour and a little bit of oil. But you see, this handful was the key to her miracle!

Faced with a seemingly hopeless situation, the widow could’ve surrendered to fear and unbelief…but instead, she chose hope and obeyed God’s instruction!

As long as the woman held on to her meager supply of food, that’s all she had. But when she obeyed God’s instructions and released what was in her hand, God intervened in her circumstances and released the supernatural abundance that was in his hand!

Although the Lord’s instructions to this poor widow must have seemed totally unreasonable, His purpose was not her demise but her blessing! Elijah assured her that if she would obey, “The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth” (v. 14).

She chose to obey the prophet of the Lord, and the result was miraculous provision:

“She and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah” (vs. 15-16).

What an amazing miracle! In a time of drought and famine, this desperate woman went from having “not enough” to having “more than enough.” From the brink of starvation and death, she experienced life and abundance—all because she chose to obey the man of God and believe the Lord’s word to her.

What’s in Your Hand?

Remember: The key to a turnaround in your life is not in some far-off place—it’s right there in your hand! But here’s the problem:

What you have in your hand must be transferred into God’s hand!

How much food does it take to feed more than 5,000 hungry people? Only five loaves of bread and two fish, IF they are transferred into Jesus’ hands and blessed by Him (Matthew 14:14-21)! But how many people could have been fed without Jesus’ blessing on these loaves and fish? Maybe five or ten!

In Exodus 4:2, God asks Moses the same question He’s asking you today:

“What is that in your hand?”

All Moses had in his hand at that point was a simple wooden shepherd’s rod. But after he laid it down and surrendered it into the Lord’s hand, it was transformed into “the rod of God” (Exodus 4:20)—able to part the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21), bring water out of a rock (Exodus 17:5-6), and gain supernatural victory over enemy armies (Exodus 17:8-13).

Friend, I believe your breakthrough from God is at hand—and it’s literally in your hand! Whatever breakthrough you need from Him—whether in your finances, marriage, job, health, or children— the key is surrendering all of your resources into the hands of your Almighty covenant partner.

God Wants to Bless You!

Today it’s more important than ever to keep God’s commandments, sow your financial seeds into the good ground of His Kingdom, wrap your faith with expectation, and be fully persuaded that He will bless you!

God promises that if you keep the words of His covenant, you will “prosper in all that you do” (Deuteronomy 29:9). And as you are blessed, you can be a blessing to others—sending the hope and salvation of Jesus Christ to the nations of the world.

Your friend and partner,

David Cerullo

P.S.  Remember: God says of His people, “In the days of famine they will have abundance” (Psalm 37:19 NASB). No matter what may be happening in the world’s economy, there’s never any lack in His economy!