WHEN YOU LOSE HOPE

When we lose hope, life feels like it is over. Whenever we are faced with the challenge of living through a difficult tragedy or loss,  it takes everything we have to just face tomorrow. To somehow see how life can possibly work now that our plans are shattered, or when a relationship has ended. It makes starting over seem like an overwhelming impossibility. In that winter of the soul, we deeply feel the loss of hope.

We know that we cannot live in the shadow of past regrets, but we can be tempted to. We can and must find ways to live in today's new beginning. Starting anything over is no easy task. To have the courage and confidence to create a new beginning calls upon every inner resource that we possess.

Life is Painful when you Lose Hope

Sometimes, circumstances happen that we have no control over, yet we have to live with the impact of the consequences nonetheless. Our hope might have been placed in someone or something that went wrong, or has come to an end; what we had hoped would happen is suddenly laying at our feet in broken pieces.

When you lose Hope you must not give up

It just doesn't seem fair to have your heart broken, to lose a cherished family member, or find that recent financial problems have led to seeing one's home foreclosed upon. Every piece of our life is connected to another piece of our life. It is devastating to lose hope that nothing will ever turn out like we had dreamed. We must find the raw courage to go on. In reality... yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not here yet, so we must find a way to live for today. 

When you lose Hope you must allow yourself time to Heal

It is no easy thing to pretend it just doesn't matter to have lost something precious that was important or meaningful in your life. To wake up each morning and put on the happy face, the serious face, or it really doesn't matter face, only works for a little while. All too soon you find yourself time drifting back to the past, lost in a sea of regret, or caught up in the worries of tomorrow, that just leaves you broken once again. You must allow yourself time to heal.

It can be so difficult to move on when you cannot see a way to rebuild a shattered dream. In truth, we may just have to let that dream go. We will need to give the pieces to God, and seek His will for whatever is to come. The Will of God never leads you where the Grace of God cannot keep you.

Only a life with Jesus Christ can give us the wondrous capacity to live in the present, while being painfully grieved with a tragedy that has crushed our hopes. This is specially so when we are filled with anxious uncertainties about the future. How is that possible? 

What did Jesus do with men who had Lost Hope?

One day two disciples of Jesus Christ were walking along the Road to the city of Emmaus, about 7 miles from Jerusalem. Their hearts were overwhelmed with events that had taken place just a few days before. Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, had been crucified, and was dead and buried in a tomb in Jerusalem. With that tragedy, so were their hopes and dreams. Time had literally stopped for these disciples.

“Now that same day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.”  Luke 24:13-14.  They desperately needed some way  to make sense of what had happened.

Jesus drew near and walked with them

“As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing Him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked Him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” Luke 24:15-18

Jesus encouraged them to verbalize the reason for their lost hope

Jesus Christ stepped into real time as it was happening in the present, and met with two confused, hurting disciples. Sometimes we fail to remember that God reaches out to us at the point of our deepest felt need.

Even though He already knew, He wanted to have them express their own perspective on what was specifically troubling them. “What things?”  Luke 24:19a

Jesus allowed them to share what was heaviest on their hearts

We can so easily cut people off and give eloquent advice, applicable verses from the Bible and even offer to pray for hurting people, but we far too seldom are patient enough to allow them to share the depth of their heartbreak or the impact of their shattered dreams upon their lives. What a confusing time it must have been to so many people when Jesus Christ, the expected Redeemer, the Lord of Salvation, was crucified.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that He was the one who was going to redeem Israel.

 

Jesus Understands what it is like to lose Hope

"And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find His body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said He was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” Luke 24:19b-24

Jesus brought truth from the Scriptures to reach their troubled hearts

We can encourage people with poems and songs, gifts and hugs, but people only truly feel genuine comfort when God’s Word enters their troubled hearts and minds.

“He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.”  Luke 24:25-27

Jesus never pushes Himself upon us but wants us to invite Him near

“As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged Him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So He went in to stay with them.When He was at the table with them, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from their sight.” Luke 24:28-31  

 

Jesus ignited their troubled hearts with New Hope

When people are open with God, and allow His Word to impact them, they will never be the same. The Lord is present with us and He will reveal truth to our troubled minds and catch our hearts on fire with new hope if we will allow Him to be the Lord of yesterday, today and tomorrow. He alone holds time in His hands.

“They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24: 32

One of the most difficult things to do in life is to live in the reality of the present. We need to lock into the now of our lives. We struggle most with the discipline of being present and accounted for. These disciples finally stopped in their tracks, stepped out of the past, forgot about the future, and grasped the critical reality that was theirs in the present. 

Allow God to Create New Hope Within

“They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when He broke the bread.” Luke 24:35 

When you are dismayed over the lose of hope, always remember that there is no problem in your life that God cannot help you find the answers to, so that you can begin to create a new pathway for your life.

• When your heart is heavy, remember that Jesus is near
• He will walk you through how to sort out of your concerns
• He wants you to be honest and open about your fears
• Be open to hear what the Scriptures say about your troubles
• Invite The Lord to draw near as you sort out what to do
• Ask Him to set your heart on fire, not just fix your problem
• Determine to follow through and apply what He has revealed to you

Thoughts to Ponder:

Why is it so hard to release to God what has caused so much pain in our lives?


What is it about a loss of hope that makes it so hard to trust again?

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34

Take a moment to listen to this encouraging song by Plumb entitled " Broken Places"

Facing Disappointment in The Quiet Place

Disappointment touches all of our lives. We grieve the loss of someone or some dream that has been shattered. Our expectations perhaps became imbalanced by reality, and we unwittingly set ourselves up for disappointment. 

At times such as these, we absolutely must find a quiet place to refresh and renew our spirit, and get grounded ... refocus. We need a pause in time to deal with the disappointment that has so enveloped our lives. 

Everyone needs a Quiet Place

Daily life tensions, and the demands of life, along with the unknowns of the future, create an unending tug of anxiety, and we can often feel a growing sense of unrest within. Life is full of pathways that lead to hardship, suffering and disappointment. 

All too often we seek to find short term counterfeit pleasure from happy circumstances. Many times we know very little of the true infusion of spiritual joy within, in spite of  tough times and adverse circumstances. We all long to find inner peace.

Sometimes we lose our way, or stand at a crossroad, unsure of which way to turn. Every day our minds are filled with distractions and pressures that trouble us. In reality they are just that...distractions. The world promises the key to happiness, but that key comes with a price, and the happiness promised is short term and empty of true meaning. We get ourselves set up to be disappointed time and time again.

Happiness depends on happy circumstances. There is a pattern that repeats itself in our lives. If your happenings don't happen to happen like you hope they happen, how can you be happy? Deep inside, most of us long for an inner peace that transcends tough circumstances; a peace that will see us through stressful times of duress, and chaotic periods of time pressure and seasons of disappointment.  

Finding your Quiet Place

I like to walk in the forest when the dew is fresh, when the world seems to be at a moment of hush. Times of chosen solitude centers us to be alone and still...to just enjoy God's creation... translating those moments of incredible solitude and peace into a quiet place with God.

The Quiet Place is a kind of spiritual counterpart to a walk in the forest. No matter where you are, or what you might be doing, my hope is that you can pause here and find encouragement, inspiration and hope.

The Quiet Place does have a biblical foundation.  In a post Edenic world,  Jesus Christ has provided for each of us direct access to the presence of God. It is only through Him that we can truly know God and enjoy communion with Him. "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6.

The disappointments and burdens of life are many, and they impact each of us differently, but in reality they are very similar. Wherever we may live on this planet, we share in common the reality that life is hard, struggles are painful, and we need an inner strength to rise from our beds each and every day and face the challenges that are before us.  God calls us wherever we are, and in whatever circumstance we are in to cultivate an intimate quiet time with Him.

The Quiet Place is to put Life on Pause 

We need to hit the pause button in life to stop the crazy spinning of everything that distracts us from stillness with God. He longs for us to joy in knowing Him, and drawing near to His heart.

"Be Still and Know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 

The Quiet Place has been created as an opportunity to seize a moment in time where we can stop the chaos and stress of  life, and reflect upon what is truly needed in each of our lives. We all need a time to meet with God to gain insight, needed perspective, and inner strength. We each long for God whether we realize it or not. That quiet desperation that resides within, creates a restlessness that is never satisfied until we find our way to meet with God.

The disciples knew what it was like to be exhausted, hungry, and overwhelmed with stress, fatigue, and the the demands of life.

“The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a Quiet Place, and get some rest.”  So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.” Mark 6:30-32

God Speaks in the Stillness of Special Moments

There are many examples in the Bible where God's gentlest whispers were only heard in quiet places.  Elijah along the brook Cherith, David in the cave at Adullam, Moses in the wilderness of Midian, and Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. They all met with God when alone and in The Quiet Place.

The burdens of life, when carried in our own strength, weakens our bodies, torments our minds, and deadens our spirit.  We often rush to the urgent tasks of our day, and miss the most important priority, which is a time of quiet worship with God. When we take the time to worship at His feet, and fellowship with Him, the result will be that we will find peace and spiritual renewal in The Quiet Place

The race of life, when run in our own strength,  leads each of us to a place of eventual exhaustion, a sense of being overwhelmed by life, and eventual burnout.

May we each be refreshed daily by our Gentle Shepherd as we meet with Him in The Quiet Place

Psalm 23

"The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside Quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff,  they comfort me.You prepare a table before me  in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

Take a few moments to listen to this worshipful song  entitled Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli

When you have a Broken Life

With broken pieces of my life I try to build once more,
I cut my fingers on the glass, a mess upon the floor.
How can I rebuild broken dreams into a better thing,
When complications fill my mind and heartaches play like strings?





  





  
I lift the pieces from the floor and throw them all away,

yet one remains to puzzle me and remind of better days.
It is called hope and seems to be a way to start again,

my life so out of focus now, it says I must begin.

To find for me my special place, a haven from the storm,

and never let my true self try to mimic or conform.
So take the bitter with the sweet, the winter with the spring,
as day by day my song takes flight as my heart begins to sing.

The melody will lift the heart of the weary and the sad,
As I begin to radiate the healing that I've had.
Don't ever think a life's so gone you cannot take the chance,
to take the hand of your inner child and lead her in the dance.

As others see you come their way, your walk will be so sure,
that living life and finding hope is not a simple cure.
It comes with reaching up and breathing gentle prayer,
the gift you're given, a door of hope, now handle it with care. 

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

“I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.² He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.³ He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God."  Psalm 40: 1-3 


Listen to this song on video by Matthew West, as it is encouraging and inspirational for girls who have been wounded in their lives and continue to be...broken.

The Silent Cry of the Lonely Heart

Throughout time, there has always been a deep loneliness and an empty void in the heart of man that is painful, and it cries out to be met. It expresses itself as a deep yearning that is palpable. So profound is the loneliness that it is often felt as an intense desperation to find someone to take the emptiness away.

In reality, that aching inner yearning is the heart cry of the human soul that is searching for God. It awakens in a child like a tender flower, but sadly, through time, it is quelled, suppressed within and often silenced throughout the growing up years.

The stress and strain of life often anesthetizes this yearning and most people find a myriad of things to sooth and numb the emptiness within. If we were truly honest with ourselves, we all need significant times in our lives where we can experience the peacefulness of complete and total silence…. blessed solitude. Those precious Quiet moments are where we can make a heartfelt exploration of our deepest questions and pose them before the Almighty God of the universe. 

The Gentle Whisper of a Loving God

God is timeless, yet He pauses, draws near to our hearts, and listens to what we are truly saying when no one else is really listening. 

With the tragic falling away from God that took place with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, man turned away from God and lost his pure and unhindered communion with his Creator. Mankind has since been left with a spiritual vacuum and a profound painful emptiness.

The Lonely Place of the Human Heart

The Quiet Place within the heart of man, where he walked in the cool of the garden with God, became instead, a lonely place. Every person who has ever lived has experienced the awareness of a profound inner thirst, deep within the heart. 

We discover in life that no amount of money, fame, possessions or power can satisfy the longing within or fill the emptiness. History has proven that whatever man attempts to use to fill that void never brings permanent fulfillment or genuine inner peace. Instead, there is an acute dissatisfaction with what was thought to be the solution to fill the emptiness within. Life is lived in a lonely Shadowland, unseen by others, but seen and understood by God. 

Only God can Heal the Lonely Heart

  

Loneliness is an unquenchable soul thirst that only God can satisfy, for it is the expression of the homesickness of the human heart for intimate communion with God. Sometimes you can be missing one person, yet it feels that your whole world is a lonely place. Why is that? It is because unrequited love has awakened the deepest need within, and that is a longing to find the Edenic innocence, and complete serenity of The Quiet Place, where God walks with you in unhindered communion.

David described this yearning as a deep thirst:

“Just like a deer that craves streams of water, my whole being craves you, God. My whole being thirsts for God, for the living God.” Psalm 42:1-2

God Alone Understands our Loneliness

Loneliness is the unquenchable thirst that nothing on earth can satisfy.  In spite of all of the sentimental poetry, romantic novels, tender musical ballads, or passionate love stories depicted in movies, there is no earthly relational experience that can truly satisfy the innermost loneliness of the human heart. 

We all need love and the companionship of intimate others, but the deep loneliness that abides within can consume us, and is a result of our soul being homesick for an intimate relationship with God.

The Human Heart is Thirsty for God's Love

Jesus identified the deepest need within mankind as an awareness of an inner thirst that cries out to be satisfied, conveying that every person knows that they are insatiably thirsty, and void of a lasting  true happiness.

 

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”John 7:37-38

God Reaches Out to Each of Us

When God awakens our thirst for Him, He does so on an individual basis. When we become conscious that He is drawing us to Himself, we are aware of our inestimable separation from Him, and discover that it is on the basis of His grace and mercy, saturated by His love, that we are given access to His heart.

"By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:8-10

God Opened the Door to His Heart

God has sought us through His Love, and bought us through His Grace, for we had a debt that we could not pay so He paid a debt that He did not owe.


"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

God Invites Us to be Near His Heart

When God brings us home to Himself, He then invites us to sit by the fire, and then He fills us with His comforting peace and all encompassing love.

"By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:8-10

The Only Way to Heal the Lonely Heart

Our deepest need is to bask intimately in the fullness of God’s love. There is nothing apart from God that can truly fill the inner void, because that place within that was lost, was created by God, for His Spirit to fill, and only He can dwell there. For Adam and Eve, the Quiet place was experienced in the external beauty of the Garden of Eden, and in their continual communion with God.

Jesus Christ has provided, through the sacrifice of Himself, access to the very heart of God. The Quiet Place has now become an internal reality through His indwelling Spirit, where we can worship and commune with God. In reality, the painful experience of loneliness in one's life, should open a pathway to the heart of God. It is a blessing of gain, disguised as loss.

When Loneliness Gives Way to Peace

"That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the believer's what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19

The Blessedness of The Quiet Place

The Quiet Place....a blessed pause in life, where you set aside a time of uninterrupted solitude to meet with God. Precious moments, where you share with Him your love and draw strength from Him to do His will. Nothing on earth can replace what God has available for you, as you meet with Him intimately in The Quiet Place.