We have all faced difficult times. Many of these have been moments in which it seems that things just continue to get worse and worse. We encounter one misfortune after the next. We do not seem to see the improvement we are hoping for. We become worried and are filled with anxiety. Our thoughts center on a particular situation seemingly without end. We think to ourselves, “When will things get better?”
When Will Things Get Better?
Our human experience is similar to the author of the book of Lamentations. His words become ours:
“My soul is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is;
I tell myself my future is lost, all that I hoped for from the LORD.
The thought of my homeless poverty is wormwood and gall;
Remembering it over and over leaves my soul downcast within me…”
The Favors of the Lord Are Not Exhausted
However, God never permits His children to be tempted or tried beyond their strength or ability to bear them. In the midst of these troubling thoughts and restless emotions, and at a moment when we least expect it, He enlightens us with His light and truth to guide us and to lift us up:
“…But I will call this to mind, as my reason to have hope:
The favors of the LORD are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent;
They are renewed each morning, so great is his faithfulness.
My portion is the LORD, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
Good is the LORD to one who waits for him, to the soul that seeks him;
It is good to hope in silence for the saving help of the LORD.” (Lam 3:17-26)
Hold on to Your Hope in God
Several are the lessons I have learned through these experiences and I’d like to share some of them:
1) Refuse to lose hope. When hope is gone, what else is left?
But in whom you place your hope in is very important.
2) No matter how difficult things have become or are, they cannot last forever.
All things are temporary.
3) God is in total control, even when it seems like He’s not. LET HIM BE in charge.
4) God never runs out of power, wisdom or mercy.
But I must never run out of faith, hope and trust.
5) Each day is a new opportunity God gives us to further discover…
how faithful He is to His promises.
6) When we run out of options and we realize that God is the only One left,
we then realize He was really the First and Only Option.
May God strengthen us during both our moments of joy and tribulation. Hold on to the Divine Mercy of God, for He is worthy of trust. “Jesus, I trust in You!”