By Joseph A. Perry

Does it ever seem as though you lose your faith as you hit some low moments in life?

A teenager was expressing himself to a group. He said, “I have felt times in life, when I looked at the situation that my family was in, and lost hope in it all. It looked so gray. It really looked so bad that I felt it could not be fixed.” He said to them that he literally cried, because he saw no way for his family to recover.

Regardless of how it looks, you have got to keep the faith. You must keep hope alive. Never count God out of any situation, and don’t ever lose confidence in The One who has all power in His hands, for He has the ability to step in whatever the circumstance is.

The Apostle Paul prayed for hope. Every one of us has had some type of trial and tribulation that has challenged our faith. Paul was no different than the teenager I mentioned, or any of us reading this article. The truth of the matter is, we have at times lost our faith. Paul experienced blindness, distrust from close friends and misunderstandings with others. He went through beatings, being hungry and being incarcerated, and those types of experiences can make a person feel fed up, beat up and wanting to give up. But I’m telling you to keep the faith, no matter what. You can still have hope regardless of how it looks. The Bible declares, “Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

Did you know that the Lord knows the plans He has for you; plans not to harm you, but to prosper you; plans to give you hope and a future? (Jeremiah 29:11)

Sometimes things happen in our lives to turn us to The God who we may have had little or no confidence in.

What you have to do is:

• Keep praying to God.
• Keep pressing toward God.
• Keep the promises of God.

And may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

There is power in hope, even in the darkest hour and the driest seasons of life. Our God can at any time change a messed-up, mind-boggling situation.

 

The Rev. Dr. Joseph A. Perry is pastor of St. Mark AME Zion Church.