If you recently experienced loss or devastation of any kind, perhaps you are apprehensive about “surviving” the upcoming holiday season. It may be your first holiday without someone you dearly love. Maybe you cannot enjoy the season because you are plagued by physical ailments. It’s far too easy to succumb to despair when your grief, pain, or loss seems insurmountable. My prayer is that as we examine the biblical definition of hope, you will be encouraged and emboldened to walk into this holiday season with a joy that is not superficial or feigned but rather is rooted firmly in an eternal hope and in the immutable character of our Sovereign God!

What is Despair?

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of despair is the “utter loss of hope.” There are certainly situations in life that may engender feelings of despair – death of a loved one, a terminal diagnosis, dire financial straits. It is impossible to avoid trials in this life, for we live in a sinful, broken world. If we can’t avoid devastation, how then can we prepare to face it and triumph over it? How can we combat the despair that so easily overwhelms?

What is Biblical Hope?

When reading scripture, we must be wary of projecting our modern definitions and connotations upon certain words. One of those words is “hope.” Today, you may hear a child say, “I hope I get a new bike for Christmas” or an adult say, “I hope I get the job promotion.” The modern usage of hope reflects wishful thinking. We “hope” something that is within the realm of possibility will come to fruition. In the Bible, however, hope is far more powerful and certain. The Greek word for hope is elpis, which is the confident expectation of what is sure or certain. Titus 1:2 reminds us of this certainty by backing up biblical hope with God’s perfect character: “in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago.” God promised us the hope of eternal life; He made it certain by sending His Son, Jesus; and He guaranteed it with the sealing of the Holy Spirit. In light of this extraordinary truth, how do we climb out of the pit of despair and take hold of the hope which God promised to us?

LAMENTATIONS 3 – A Journey from Despair to Hope

The book of Lamentations was written during or soon after the fall of Jerusalem. The people of Judah repeatedly and unrepentantly rejected God by practicing idolatry, and God allowed the Babylonians to plunder the Jews and burn down Solomon’s temple (6th century BC). The author of Lamentations (likely the prophet Jeremiah) witnessed this downfall and wrote the book as a lament over the tragic state of Judah.

In Lamentations 3:1-18, the author grapples with despair over Israel’s affliction. The words in this passage reflect not the reality and truth of God’s character but rather the unabated emotional upheaval caused by tragic circumstances. When overcome with despair, is it not true that everything we see is tainted by angst, cynicism, and gloom? We cannot see beyond our immediate trial, and the circumstances are so devastating that a way “out” seems utterly impossible. This sentiment is truly captured in the last verses in this passage:

The Turning Point

Just when all seems lost, the author fixes his gaze on an eternal hope, one that transcends circumstances, trials, and despair. These next few verses serve as the climax of this chapter and of the book of Lamentations: the footnote for this passage in the Reformation Study Bible states, “The lament form often has turning pints where the experience of rejection by God turns unexpectedly to confidence, based on a knowledge of His character and of His past mercies.”

What does the author recall that produces hope in the midst of despair?

Lovingkindness…compassion…faithfulness…portion (source of all blessing and provision)…salvation. These are the unchanging truths about God’s character upon which the author CHOOSES to focus. “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope” – verse 21 reveals that it takes purposeful action to shift one’s gaze from temporal despair to eternal hope. Others may remind you of who God is, but at the end of the day, YOU must consciously choose to cling to God’s promises.

“The secret is Christ in me, not me in another set of circumstances.”

Elisabeth Elliot

Hope in the Midst of Sorrow

Many in the Christian world swing to the opposite side of the spectrum: they repudiate any acknowledgement of sorrow or grief and pretentiously purport that they are always “happy” or “okay” because God is good. To some extent, this should be true for the Christian. God is always good, even when we don’t understand why He allows and ordains painful trials. But this joy is not a mere dismissal of sorrow and grief…it’s joy in the midst of sorrow and grief. We see several key examples in the Bible of people who experienced tremendous sorrow and yet were not overcome with despair. Perhaps the greatest example is that of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was sorrowful to the point of death (Matt 26:38); His anguish was so extreme that he began to sweat drops of blood (an actual medical condition called Hematidrosis).

YET, look at what Hebrews 12:2 says about our Savior: “…who for the joy set before Him endured the cross.” Jesus experienced the greatest anguish any human being could ever face – separation from God, bearing the full weight of His wrath. He did that so you and I never would. He bore our punishment to give us an eternal hope…and He did so with JOY, knowing that death would not be the end! We have no reason to despair because He has secured for us an eternal future and inheritance that can never be taken away.

Child of God, the key to overcoming despair lies not in yourself, but in Christ, Who has given us an eternal hope. Stand on His promises today. He will not fail you. As Elisabeth Elliot so wisely put it, “The secret is Christ in me, not me in another set of circumstances.”

Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why are you disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

Psalm 43:5