HOW TO FIND HOPE WHEN YOU'RE FEELING EXHAUSTED
When the voice of our circumstances is louder than the voice of our hope, we can begin to drift toward exhaustion.
Many of us are in this position right now because of a variety of reasons: the suffering economy, inflation, and the perpetual lack of stability.
We’re asking, “What happened to our hope? And when can we get it back?”
Hope is at the core of our story.
In the Old Testament, Joseph ran into problems because of other people’s poverty thinking (see Gen. 37).
He was the younger son who walked in favor, and his brothers couldn’t take it. Poverty thinking drove them to attack him and consider killing him. In fact, they were so gripped by poverty that they were fine with the idea of sabotaging their brother and then lying to their father about what really happened.
But Joseph was stubborn when it came to who he was and what he knew God had told him. Even though his brothers’ plan succeeded and he was sold as a slave in a foreign country, his story arc landed on Genesis 39:2–3:
And the Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all that he did prosper in his hand. (NASB)
Something was different about this guy. I think he never tapped out; he didn’t “fatigue out” of his hope. He knew who he was, why he was, and what God was saying to him.
God loved Joseph’s response, and He lifted Joseph out of difficult and hope-destroying circumstances. That story arc—from pain to prosperity—happened several times in Joseph’s life until he became the ruler of the very nation where he used to be a slave.
Today that’s you. You’re in Joseph’s shoes.
Your heavenly Father loves you and places great value on you, and you get to walk in His divine favor. When you confess Jesus and become a follower of His good gifts, God is with you. That’s a promise.
Exhaustion is completely understandable because these are difficult times, but remember: God is with you. Don’t allow the enemy to steal your hope.
If you’re discouraged and overwhelmed…
Here’s a VERY simple “assignment.” This will help you jumpstart your heart again.
Every day find a moment when you can thank God and be grateful. Think of this as a “micro Sabbath,” and just rest on the Lord. Don’t ask for things or make requests—just wait on Him and thank Him for all the good things He’s done and all the more He’s going to do.
If you’re tired but still have hope…
Start a dream journal. Make a list of things you hope to accomplish or want to see happen.
Don’t apply pressure to yourself with this list; you’re not making a contract, committing your life to these things, or somehow holding God “hostage” to perform them. You are simply practicing the dreams and hopes that are possible in Jesus’ name.
Finally, here’s a simple prayer:
Father, I acknowledge that You are over every circumstance. There is nothing on earth that You cannot foresee and defeat because of Your great power and position. The Bible says I am inside You, hidden in Christ. I ask now that You would reignite my hope and reawaken me with this idea that You are good and You love me. Yes, I may be suffering right now, but I know that no matter what my situation looks like, You are more. Father, would You rescue me and lift me out of the pit? Show Yourself to be the faithful Rescuer in this world. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
I pray Jesus lifts all heaviness from your heart and restores your vision for the future.
Coming Thursday for Paid Subscribers
Many of us listen to internal “tapes” that constantly cycle through a list of lies about who we are and what we can expect from money. We engineer ourselves and our lives around these core beliefs, thinking:
· “I’m worthless.”
· “My best will never be good enough.”
· “Something is about to go wrong.”
· “I’m a failure.”
· “I’m incapable of handling money well.”
· “I will turn out to be just like my parents with money.”
· “My family is cursed. We’ll never get out of poverty.”
· “Expecting the worst is just part of who I am. I’m pessimistic.”
· “If something seems good, it won’t last.”
But instead of focusing on what could go wrong—or what did go wrong in the past—here’s the most important question we could ever ask:
“What does God say about who I am?”
Please share this post!
Sharing this post helps me, but it also might help someone else. If you find my perspective useful, please spread the word.👇