According to the dictionary despair is defined as the loss of all hope, to be overcome by a sense of futility or defeat, complete loss of hope. Despair is a loss of hope which brings about a state of hopelessness, despondency (very low in spirit), and discouragement which brings about a loss of courage and ambition. Have you ever felt that way? Let me just say despair is not good, as a matter of fact it would classify as sin. Wait a minute Pastor Dan, did you say sin? Why? Well it was grounded in the sin of the Israelites who railed against Moses (Exodus 14:11-12). It was grounded in the sin of the ten spies who upon returning from Canaan gave a bad report (Numbers 13:32). It was grounded in the sin that led Esau to forfeit his birthright for a bowl of stew, believing he would die if he did not eat (Genesis 25:32).
Despair is also faithlessness, it is an accusation against God that His arm is too short to save and His ear too deaf to hear (Isaiah 59:1). The person wallowing in despair by his attitude calls God a liar, when he/she thinks contrary to God’s promises (1 Corinthians 10:13). The individual in despair does not say, “I have no refuge but God,” but rather, “I have no refuge in God.” This can be seen in (Mark 4:35-41). They had given in to despair, so much that they not only forgot Who was with them, but accused Him of not caring How many troubled people in the world around us, how many children of God, how many find themselves in the same place, where we convince ourselves God doesn’t care What can we do to overcome despair in our lives.
- We can look for hope – but not just any hope – hope that is anchored in Jesus
- Read: (Hebrews 12:1-2) (Hebrews 6:13-20) (1 Timothy 1:1) (Colossians 1:27)
- Jesus provides hope for the hopeless through His…..
- Teachings – (Matthew 6:30) (Matthew 7:11) (Matthew 10:29-31)
- Promises – (John 6:35) (John 10:10) (John 14:1-3)
Through faith in Jesus Christ, the Christian has the hope of salvation as a “helmet” to protect our minds (1 Thessalonians 5:8), and can rejoice in hope regarding the glory to come (Romans 5:1-2)
However hope does not come easily it follows tribulation (Romans 5:3-4). This kind of hope never disappoints (Romans 5:5), even in the darkest of days. Hope means trusting in God even when we cannot plainly see deliverance on the horizon. It means relying on an invisible God to provide rescue that may yet be unseen (Romans 8:18-25) (Hebrews 11:1,6). Those who are in Christ (who belong to Christ by way of salvation) have every reason to hope. The believer should not succumb to despair, but stand alongside Jeremiah (Lamentations 3:22-24). We are charged to hold fast to our hope (Hebrews 3:6) (Hebrews 10:23) (again – Hebrews 6:19)