HELP WHEN HOPE IS HARD

“God is out refuge and strength, a very present HELP IN TROUBLE” – Psalm 46:1

God is our very present HELP WHEN HOPE IS HARD: “God is out refuge and strength, a very present HELP IN TROUBLE. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Psa.46: 1-2). Hope is hard in times of troubles and seasons of trials, but God’s Help is ever present – never far; hence the Believer has no reason to ever be hopeless! James 1: 2-4 tells us to find Joy WHEN it is least expected: “My brethren, count it ALL JOY WHEN you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” – patience perfected through pain!

Hard times may relate to health challenges, marital or financial strain, a long-drawn delay in securing promised blessings, the waywardness of a child, pain of divorce or separation, or the grief of loss. Emptiness may have stolen the best hours of one’s sleep. Whatever the “trouble” might be, there is Hope in the hard times; Hope and help found ultimately in God alone: “Give us HELP from trouble, for the help of man is useless” (Psa.60:11). It isn’t that people can’t help and support us, but the ultimate healing to many of our challenges is in the hands of God alone.

Christian Hope is a confident expectation of good things to come irrespective of present circumstances: “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end” (Heb.6:11). When hard times hit, we need a refuge. When weakness shows up, we need strength beyond the natural. We need someone to turn to: God Himself, who is our Hope in hard times. It is in His Word that we can find Living Hope, even in the midst of hard and tough times.

There is a popular Song of Hope that says:

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley

When things go wrong He'll make them right

And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times

The God of the day is still God in the night

The Lord will encourage, support, hold, and uphold us on the pathway of destiny, as we press toward the Summit. Whatever valley we may be passing through, we must be encouraged to not neglect the Hope that is found in God’s Word: “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the SCRIPTURES MIGHT HAVE HOPE” (Rom.15:4). It’s easy in hard times to lose our bearings, but the compass towards Hope always points through the Word of God. It pays to hang in there, focusing our eyes on His Words of Hope.

The Life of Paul the apostle is an eternal Testimony to the reality that there is Help even when Hope is hard. In serving God, Paul had more than a fair share of hard times, but the Lord assured him: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2Cor.12:9). God maximises His strength in our weakness! Standing firm on this revelation, Paul testified: “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor.12: 10).

Hope may be hard, but in God, we’re NEVER HOPELESS, because “There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn” (vv.4-5)! The Psalmist therefore concluded on a Victory note: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (vv.10-11). When Hope is Hard, God’s Presence makes the difference!