Father, I feel less hope today, hope-“less” as I suffer. You know this is normal when suffering brings constant turmoil. Throughout the ages, Your people have sung to You in hope-“less” times of suffering.
Please help me to find hope in Your Word, God. Please give me hope in the deepest places of my soul, as Your child in Christ.
My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word (Ps. 119:81 ESV).
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation (Ps. 42:5 ESV).
When all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay.
(“MY HOPE IS BUILT ON NOTHING LESS,” NOTE, E., 1834)
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself (Phil. 3:20-21 ESV).
Your hope for my future helps me find hope for today
Hope is my look to the future to endure the present. Oh Father, help my soul to see! I praise You, for this is my sure future in Christ Jesus! Suffering will end!
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:3-4 ESV).
Lord, help me to remember that You have not destined me for wrath, but to obtain salvation
through my Lord Jesus Christ, who died for me so that whether I am awake or asleep I might live with him (1 Thess. 5:9-10 ESV).
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.
Finding hope in Your saving love for me today
Jesus, my Savior, because of Your saving love, I am living with You as I suffer. In unending covenant love for me, You have given me faith, a trust in You alone for my salvation. Protect my thoughts today, with this impenetrable helmet. Protect my emotions and desires today, my heart, with this strong breastplate.
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation (1 Thess. 5:8 ESV).
His oath, his covenant, his blood support me in the whelming flood!
Lord, by Your gift of grace, I know this suffering is sanctifying me now as I wait with hope. I feel hope-“less”…so I’m finding hope in You as I wait. What am I waiting for? Along with all believers, we’re
waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Ti. 2:13 ESV).
When he shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in him be found;
dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.
Finding hope in Jesus alone
Father, I confess that I so often place my hope elsewhere. No wonder I feel hope-“less” at times. I easily place all my hope in circumstances changing, that my suffering will end while I live on earth. You tell me to pray for it, knowing that You, my powerful and sovereign God, can and often do choose to ease our suffering. But Lord, please help me to trust You with all things as I suffer today…and to find hope where it belongs.
You tell us to “set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:13, emphasis added).
Jesus, fully hoping in seeing You and living with You one day, please help me to keep going today, because You are empowering me. You always give me grace to endure.
When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in ev’ry high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil.
Please help me to find hope into my hope-“less” as You help me to…
Material adapted from Near to God: A Devotional Bible Study of God’s Character in Our Suffering, Lauri A. Hogle. Copyright © 2022
Singing of our hope in Christ to find hope in hope-“less” times of suffering
My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Sister in Christ, we are suffering, but do you see it too? By His grace, we have to wholly lean on Jesus…because we’re suffering! We must depend on who He is, on what He’s done for us as His saved daughters, and daily find hope in Christ alone. It’s hard, but it’s His gift to us.
When my thoughts and emotions and circumstances seem hope-“less,” singing of our hope in Christ has been His gift to help me find hope again for the next hour.
He helps me become hope-“full!”
I’m professionally curating playlists for my current suffering to help me sing. It’s a delight to share them with you as we walk heart-to-heart in this challenging time. If it would encourage you to sing these songs to your soul and find hope, sign up here, and let’s both interrupt our suffering as we look to the One who gives us all hope. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
