But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that he rewards everyone who searches for him.
It’s easy to stop believing when all hope looks gone. But when hope vanishes is when you ought to look for Jesus more than ever because He could be right beside you. You just can’t see Him. When hopelessness overrides your faith, your eyes become blinded to what is really going on. Some of your greatest answers to some of your greatest problems come during times of your greatest discouragement.
One of the most unforgettable encounters the disciples had with Jesus was when He came to them in the midst of the storm. The waves buffeted their little boat, and they were fearing for their lives when Jesus appeared walking on the water. He called out to Peter to come to Him. Peter climbed out of the boat but then started sinking.
In Exodus 3:4-6, Moses finds himself in front of a burning bush from which God is speaking, asking first that Moses take off his shoes, as this is holy ground. So, Moses slips them off in obedience to God’s command.
Whenever I counsel someone who is struggling with emotional strongholds, I always want to check their hope-meter because when you have lost your hope, you have lost everything. Simply defined, hope is the belief that my tomorrow will be better than my today. David knew about the power of hope when life looks hopeless.