Counseling Through Your Bible Handbook (38 page)

(P
SALM
62:5-7).

If your life is anchored in Christian hope, you will never drown in despair. Swirling currents and pounding waves will offer you no cause for alarm. You are held secure in the hope of Christ, the Master over both the storms and the seas. When you have Christ, you have…

—
Contentment:
You are able to be patient because of God’s hope within you.

“If we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently”

(R
OMANS
8:25).

—
Courage:
You are able to be bold because of God’s hope within you.

“Since we have such a hope, we are very bold”

(2 C
ORINTHIANS
3:12).

—
Confidence:
You experience assurance because of God’s hope within you.

“You have been my hope, O Sovereign L
ORD
, my confidence since my youth”

(P
SALM
71:5).

—
Cheerfulness:
You experience joy because of God’s hope within you.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”

(R
OMANS
12:12).

—
Comfort:
You experience encouragement because of God’s unfailing love for you.

“May your unfailing love rest upon us, O L
ORD
, even as we put our hope in you”

(P
SALM
33:22).

—
Conviction:
You are anchored in hope because of God’s Word within you.

“May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word”

(P
SALM
119:74).

—
Christlikeness:
You are conformed to the character of Christ because of God’s hope for you.

“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death”

(P
HILIPPIANS
1:20).

We all have placed our confidence in something or someone that did not hold, or that broke under pressure. To avoid this, you must cultivate Christian hope.

Christian hope is…

—
Not
dependent on another person or a group of people.

Rather, it is dependent on the Lord alone.

—
Not
wishful thinking, vague longing, or trying to fulfill a dream.

Rather, it is assured, unchangeable, and absolute.

—
Not
determined by circumstances, events, or abilities.

Rather, it is determined by what is already secure and promised.

—
Not
merely a desire.

Rather, it is delayed fulfillment of reality.

—
Not
dependent on the stars, luck, chance, or timing.

Rather, it is predestined and settled in the heart and mind of God.

“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will”
(E
PHESIANS
1:11).

To regain a hopeful outlook on life is not difficult or complicated. All it requires is a shift in focus. As hope is restored and anchors you, you’ll grow toward Christlike maturity. Then, no matter how strongly the winds bluster and blow, you won’t get knocked off course. The challenge comes in focusing not on the storm or the ditch you’re in, but on the hope God has for you—His path of recovery for you. Because of God’s faithfulness,
hope anchored in His character
will hold. That is why meditating on God’s unfailing promises, which are found in His unchanging Word, will supply all the stability you will ever need.

“‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the
L
ORD
, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’”

(J
EREMIAH
29:11).

Even the deepest failures in your life cannot thwart God’s faithfulness to you. Do you know the genuine goodness of God in your life—His immense mercy, His constant compassion, His everlasting love? (see Salvation, pp. 349-55). God will be faithful to you forever. The Bible says to put your
hope
in Him. Repeatedly say to yourself when you are in the midst of the storm, “I will hope in him” (Lamentations 3:24
ESV
).

—
Look
at the situation accurately.

“I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me”

(L
AMENTATIONS
3:19-20).

—
Line
up your thinking with what gives you hope.

“This I call to mind and therefore I have hope”

(
VERSE
21).

—
Learn
what gives hope in the midst of this situation.

“Because of the L
ORD
’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail”

(
VERSE
22).

—
Linger
on this fact: Every day God will be faithful to you.

“They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”

(
VERSE
23).

—
Let
the Lord fulfill you totally—not just partially.

“The L
ORD
is my portion; therefore I will wait for him”

(
VERSE
24).

—
Lean
on this truth to receive hope for your heart.

“The L
ORD
is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him”

(
VERSE
25).

All
of us experience deep grief and mourning. And if you stay locked in the prison of emotional pain, your heart will become deadened to hope. Realize that you have a Savior who experienced the most severe grief—the One who agonized in the garden of Gethsemane with the anguish of His soul—Jesus, who said, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38).

To weather the storm gales of grief…

—
Remember
that some grief and suffering is natural and must be endured for a time.

“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”

(2 C
ORINTHIANS
4:16-17).

—
Reach
out to God in your grief and sorrow.

“The L
ORD
is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”

(P
SALM
34:18).

—
Reflect
on fond memories of the past and allow yourself to grieve over specific events.

“There is a time for everything…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance”

(E
CCLESIASTES
3:1,4).

—
Reach
out to a friend and share your pain.

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ”

(G
ALATIANS
6:2).

—
Remain
hopeful, knowing that this feeling of deep grief will pass.

“I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy”

(J
OHN
16:20).

—
Reinforce
your faith by giving hope to others.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God”

(2 C
ORINTHIANS
1:3-4).

Bitterness can be like a winter storm blowing in from the north, pushing you back to the ditch of despair. At first the signs are subtle, but soon bitterness swirls into a blizzard of complaints, unforgiveness, depression, sustained grief, hopelessness, and rage against God. Most people have great difficulty admitting that they are bitter. They say, “I’m not bitter, but I just can’t forgive him!” or, “I’m not angry, but it’s just not fair.” Bitterness is buried anger that has become frozen in resentment. Unresolved anger is like a chain that ties us to the past.

“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many”

(H
EBREWS
12:15).

If you are struggling to overcome bitterness…

— Believe that it is possible, with God’s help, to get rid of all of your resentment.

— Know that you are not a helpless victim of other people, circumstances, or events.

— Take personal responsibility for your attitude of bitterness.

— Confess before God that you are harboring anger. Express your true desire to overcome the bondage of bitterness.