Finding Ways to Not Be Swallowed Up by Hopelessness

May 18

May 18 Finding Ways to Not Be Swallowed Up by Hopelessness

Devos and Studies, Psalms Devos_Studies, God's Word

Don’t lose hope

I don’t know about you, but when I spend too much time reading or watching the news, I’m not encouraged. Just the opposite. Now, I could choose to ignore it all, but that won’t change reality. Not that the news or social media governs reality!

When the world seems out of control, it’s easy to become discouraged, angry, depressed, or even fearful.

When evil, injustice, scandals, unrest, and tragedies dominate the news, cynicism is easy to cultivate. Why? When we lose hope in what’s right and true and good, our hearts harden and we get bitter.

But there are ways to not be swallowed up by the hopelessness around us. So, don't lose hope!

If you don't want to be overcome by the snarling darkness of this world, you need to develop attitudes and actions to address it.

One thing is certain—as followers of Jesus, we don't need to be overcome with worry or secretly admire those who seem to get away with everything. This is the exhortation of Psalms 37:1-2, as I shared in a previous post.

In that post, I looked at the first nine verses of Psalm 37 and pointed out five ways to overcome what we cannot control. (Psalm 37:1-9). This is a follow-up post to find five ways to not be swallowed up by hopelessness.

Scripture

By David
The Lord knows the daily struggles of innocent people.
Their inheritance will last forever.
They will not be put to shame in trying times.
Even in times of famine they will be satisfied. [vs 18-19]
Notice the innocent person, and look at the decent person,
because the peacemaker has a future. [vs 37]
The victory for righteous people comes from the Lord.
He is their fortress in times of trouble. [vs 39]
(Psalm 37:18-19, 37, 39 GW) [Context– Psalm 37]

Reflections and Insights

1– Be confident in the goodness of God

Our confidence in God needs to be greater than whatever seems to threaten or overwhelm us (see vss 3, 16-22). Confidence in who He is and His goodness.

Trust is the initial way to avoid being swallowed up with worry and envy. Any form of trust is a risk of sorts, but the trustworthiness of whoever (or wherever) we’re putting our trust reduces the risk.

The Lord is trustworthy beyond what we can comprehend, so it boils down to our own willingness to trust Him and His goodness. Trusting in the Lord isn't a choice between one thing or another, it's based on a relationship.

It's a confidence that God is greater than whatever threatens to overwhelm us. This is expanded on further in the psalm (Psalm 37:18-22). It's a confidence that God is good and will honor our trust in Him (Heb 11:6).

2– Be transformed in your heart

When God transforms our hearts, the desires of our hearts will change (see vss 4, 23-26)

As a young believer, I remember hearing the verse, Delight yourself in the Lord, and He'll give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4), as if it was a guarantee. I heard people declare this verse with confidence the Lord would give them whatever their hearts desired. But there's more to it than that.

It's tied to our trust in the Lord. The focus needs to be on delighting in the Lord, not in what we want or desire. When our highest priority is the Lord Himself, our priorities are in right order and he will honor that.

When this is true it transforms our hearts and what we desire. Our selfish nature is no longer the basis for the desires of our hearts. This brings contentment into our relationship with the Lord. This is seen in other verses of this psalm (Psalm 37:23-26).

3– Be fully committed to the Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and be sure of His faithfulness (see vss 5-6, 27-33). I learned this as a young believer. The verses of Proverbs 3:5-6 became an anchor of truth for me when I dealt with worry, frustration, or envy of others.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Prov 3:5-6 NIV

Many believers think that once they've given their heart to Jesus, no further commitment is needed. In one way, this is true. Once we decide to follow Jesus, just as with a marriage vow, a person doesn’t need to make the same decision repeatedly.

But it's not a one-and-done type of commitment. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus speaks of the need to affirm this commitment daily (Luke 9:23). How can it be both?

The battle to not be swept along with the cultural flow of the world is constant. It doesn’t go away once we decide to follow Jesus. It requires a continual surrender of our will and ways to the Lord.

4– Be more connected with God

To connect with God, we need to be willing to disconnect from the world around us (see vss 7, 34-36)

This may seem like a passive action or no action at all, but it's a powerful way to connect with God. Hope can develop when we learn the power of disconnecting from what causes despair and hopelessness.

This is especially true in our digital age, where people wander around in their own world with headsets and headphones or chase imaginary creatures on their smartphones.

If we want to connect with God, we need to disconnect from the world, including people, and, of course, social media. This is nothing new and the idea of being present or mindful has once again become vogue in American culture.

One way I do this is to get up early in the morning (while it's still dark) for a less-distracted time with God. Another thing that helps me is riding my bike on the beach, or fully engaging in worship and prayer.

As said before, you’ll have to sort out how you can do this. It requires commitment and discipline. You’ll also need to be intentional about this.

5– Be filled with hope

If you’re rolling down the hill of cynicism and despair, you need to put the brakes on! We can only break that cycle with hope. Not a wishful thinking kind of hope. But genuine hope. (see vss 8-9, 37-40)

A friend of mine showed me an illustration and explanation of the Cycle of Rage that's relevant here. A choice needs to be made to break out of the cycle of reacting with anger or fretting when things seem out of control.

This is a choice to not be controlled by our circumstances or feelings. How? We need to look beyond our circumstances. Beyond cynicism. Beyond ourselves.

We need to set our hearts and minds on God. He alone is faithful and greater than us, our feelings, our circumstances, and the world we live in. God empowers us to see beyond all this by faith. He is our refuge. He is our hope.

Again, when you start rolling down the hill of cynicism and despair, it’s time to put the brakes on! Just as when we learn the power of disconnecting, we also need to learn the power of breaking the cycle of cynicism around us.

It’s your choice

These five ways to be hopeful instead of cynical are not a list of disciplines to apply. It’s a way of life in the Kingdom of God. We see this in the repetition about inheriting the land (Psalm 37:9, 11, 22, 29, 34). For the Jews, this spoke of God's kingdom on earth.

But God doesn’t restrict His kingdom to the earth. It encompasses all those who trust in the Lord personally. Jesus refers to this in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:5), and Paul speaks of this in his letter to the church in Rome (Romans 4:13; 14:17).

Our life may not go as we expect, but when we choose to trust in the Lord and commit our ways to Him, we have the assurance of inheriting a better life than we could make for ourselves. When we take refuge in the Lord, we have this assurance.

The world may continue to darken, but it doesn't have to control our lives.

Would you like a free study guide for your study of Psalms?

Click the link for a free Psalms Study Guide

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases (books mentioned and linked).