Hope Amidst Darkness

I know what it is to live in the darkness.  I know what it is to be lost, confused, disappointed, heartbroken, lonely and hurt.  In one word, hopeless.  Yet I have also found hope in the midst of that thick darkness.  So how did I find hope?

I chose to believe...believe that God really is Who He said He is.  Believe that He isn't a liar and that He will fulfill all His promises, according to His Word. I chose to believe that He is reliable and faithful, even when my circumstances threatened every breath of my faith.  

In short, I had to make a decision about what I truly believed.  If I claimed to believe that God is the God as described in the Bible (loving, forgiving, faithful--the God who sent His only Son to pay the penalty for a crime He didn't commit), then I had to determine whether I was going to have my life back up my belief system.  In a nutshell, would I "walk the talk"?  Would I choose, by faith, to believe the Bible, God's word to me?  Would I chose to trust an all-loving, sovereign Hand, when I didn't understand?  Would I choose faith in Christ, even when I was lost and hurting?  By God's grace, I chose faith, and I wasn't disappointed!  

God showed Himself faithful even beyond my expectations.  And I realized that the times I had lost faith due to exhaustion and loss, He had been holding onto me.  I am certain that given the opportunity, God will exceed your expectations also; not because of anything you have accomplished or earned, but because of Him and His character.  

Making the decision to have hope in Christ amidst the darkness is not wishful thinking or blind faith.  When your hope is placed in the merit and character of Jesus Christ, you will not be disappointed.  God will not fail you.  God is constantly desiring the opportunity to show Himself reliable, faithful and true.  We will always be surrounded with hopelessness and darkness; it is unavoidable.  The question is not a matter of avoiding the darkness.  It is a matter of determining by an effort of your will, in WHOM you will place your faith!  In so placing your faith and hope in Christ, you will come to know every day that the darkness no longer overwhelms and overtakes, but truly becomes a light that brightly shines in the darkness.  John 1:5 says, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." (NLT)  So it is with hope in Christ.  No pain, no circumstance, no disappointment can ever overcome the light and strength of your hope in Christ!  BeStrong!