People Bring Hope

November 11, 2020

Have you ever felt hopeless? I have. Did someone give you platitudes, if so, did it help? Have other people helped you when you were feeling hopeless? How did they help you? Did they encourage you? Did they comfort you? Did they exhort you? Did they love you? Did they just sit with you and let you talk? I had all of these things happen to me. Ultimately all of them helped except the platitudes and those hurt me.

God uses people to help those who are feeling hopeless. The New Testament is full of what I call one another commands. We were meant to live out our lives in fellowship with other people. In living out this life with others God directs us on we can best do it. I would like to look at some of the one another commands. To give insight into what for me brought hope. But first I would like to talk about what did not help which were platitudes. When I think of platitudes, I think of short little phrases that ae meant for good and in fact they in most cases they are true. Here are some examples that I experienced. If you prayed more Laura would be better. I prayed myself to sleep, I prayed every time that Laura came to mind. I am not sure how much more I could have prayed. You do know all things work to good. Though this statement is true there needs to be a close relationship for someone to receive it. I had three people who could have said it to me but none of them would have. You just need to believe more. You just need to get over your grief. Grief is a process that you must work through at one’s own timing. It cannot be rushed. It is not something to get over but rather it is something to walk through. Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. I did not need to pull myself up I need my Savior Jesus Christ to pull me up.

Here are some of the one another commands which were helpful when people followed them.

James 5:16, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (ESV)

John13:34 Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (ESV)

Romans 12:10 “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (ESV)

2 Corinthians 13:11, “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. (ESV)

Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another‘s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (ESV)

When our friends and fellow believers follow these one another instructions and others they bring hope. I would encourage you to look at some of the other one another commands in the New Testament. Learn from them and practice them on those who are hopeless so that they might receive hope. Ultimately our Hope comes from the Lord, but He uses people to bring it sometimes.

Psalms 62:5 says, “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.”

If you do not know Jesus the true source of hope does not abide in you. Learn how to get the hope you need. Learn how to know Jesus

If you have not read my previous blogs you can find them here.

You can find my book, Hope Amid Hopelessness: Our Abba Father Provides a Way Through Mental Illness here.