Hopelessness
"There are no hopeless situations; there are only men who have grown hopeless about them" – Clare Booth Luce
"There are no hopeless situations; there are only men who have grown hopeless about them" – Clare Booth Luce
What comes first—hopelessness or depression? I asked God this morning, still seeking to understand how rejection has shaped my struggle with depression. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of depression include “feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness, or hopelessness.” Yet Proverbs 13:12 (NIV) says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” This verse speaks deeply to me—not merely as a description of pain, but as a clue to its source. Could it be that hopelessness is not just a symptom of depression but a root cause?
If you’ve ever searched for meaning in all the wrong places, wondering why nothing satisfies, you’re not alone. Most of my adult life was marked by pain—emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual. At my core, I longed to fill the hollow void that kept pulling me into despair. I moved from job to job and relationship to relationship, always searching but never fulfilled.
After phoning my mother often throughout the years, sobbing, she would quote Proverbs 13:12 as a means of comforting me. Ironically, my mother, the person who couldn’t love me during my early years, became the one to console the troubled adult I became. She watched, on the sidelines, as I leapt from heartache to heartache. My mother assured me, every time, that my situation would improve. She had hope. I did not.
Hope, like faith and love, is invisible, yet potent. It only works when we act on it. Romans 15:13 (NIV) says, “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.” There are powerful truths embedded in this verse—truths that can reshape how we see both God and ourselves.
First, this verse tells us that God is hope, just as He is love. No wonder there are so many hopeless people walking around as hollow skeletons. If God is the source of hope, how can we have hope if we don’t know Him? Even if you do know and believe that God exists, as in my case, if you don’t see God as a loving, good God, you won’t have hope. Or, If you never received love as a child, connecting with a loving God might seem impossible. Does this resonate with you?
Second, this verse teaches that hope in God produces joy and peace. For a long time, joy felt foreign to me, but over time I became more acquainted with peace—a quiet sense of contentment. If you don’t have hope, you won’t have peace either. Philippians 4:7 speaks of a peace that surpasses understanding, peace that guards both heart and mind. That peace is rooted in hope.
Third, this scripture links trust to joy and peace. On Day 1, we talked about trust being foundational. If we can’t trust God, we won’t have access to His hope and without hope, joy and peace remain out of reach. Hope begins with trust. Trusting in God leads to hope, which leads to joy and peace.
We overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Finally, Romans 15:13 says we overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. This divine hope is not manufactured by willpower. It comes when we trust God, receive His joy and peace, and are filled by the Spirit. Trust, joy, peace and the power of the Holy Spirit are all the ingredients of hope that only comes from God.
I did not have much hope throughout my life. Looking back I can understand why. Growing up with a lack of love created the perfect storm. Trust, one of the main ingredients in developing hope in God, had no chance of growing. My heart was sick because of a lack of hope for my future. I couldn’t look past the muddy mess I dwelled in. Can you relate to this feeling?
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) promises, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” The beauty of this verse is that God already knows what He has in store for us, and He tells us it is good. Hope is believing and looking forward to it, even while standing knee deep in the mud.
Maybe you’ve thought, “There’s nothing good about what I’m going through.” You’re not wrong to feel that way. God never said life would be easy. Hope is the compass, guiding you out of your circumstances. It points to your future that God has already planned and points to the good that God has in store.
Hope is the compass, guiding you out of your circumstances.
The Hebrew word for hope is tikvah. Esther Kuhn, who has a master of divinity, explains in her article, Hope in Hebrew: Tikvah—Hope that Does Not Disappoint, that hope is a powerful concept and an expression of faith as one waits expectantly. We can see that power in the scripture Isaiah 40:31 (NIV), "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Hope in God strengthens us in ways we can't always understand or explain.
Just as hope is powerful, hopelessness can be deadly. In the article, Hopelessness and Suicidal Behavior: An Overview, Aaron T. Beck, MD, one of the world's leading researchers in psychopathology, concludes from an investigation of people who attempted suicide that hopelessness is often the key link between depression and suicidal thoughts. Without hope, the future seems unlivable. In my hopeless state of mind, I could not look to the future in a positive way.
I didn’t always understand how trusting God could lead to hope. I longed to serve Him through missions, but when doors didn’t open, I spiraled into despair. I tried to fix things on my own, which left me even more exhausted and empty. Mentally, I tried to figure it all out, but this depleted me more. Have you tried to figure everything out instead of trusting God?
Did you know that glass is strengthened by heat and pressure? When heated and rapidly cooled, it becomes toughened through a process called tempering. I believe hopelessness creates a similar inner pressure. But it also creates the conditions for strength—if we let God temper us with His truth, with His hope.
Hope is believing God’s promises and expecting them to happen. This is beautifully illustrated in Luke 2:25-32 when we read the story of Simeon. As Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus into the temple, as the custom of the law directed, Simeon, led by the Holy Spirit, intercepted them. Why? God had promised Simeon he would see the Messiah before he died.
Although Simeon had been promised that he would see the Messiah before his death, he didn’t know when or how. Yet, he trusted—and waited in expectation. That is what hope looks like. All the reader knows is that Simeon was an old man when the word was fulfilled. No one knows how long Simeon waited. Simeon is a perfect example of how hope works.
God makes individual promises that are personal to us. One promise he made to me a couple of years ago took place while my daughter was away, participating in a missions program after she graduated from high school. I had come home for lunch from work and had been contemplating how my daughter was living the life I had yearned to live. Of course, I was thrilled for her, but an overwhelming sense of loss from missed opportunities overtook me and I broke down, sobbing.
Leaning against the red kitchen wall, I heaved, hands covering my eyes, head bent down. Dejected. Wretched. Hopeless. And then I heard Him.
I have not forgotten you.
It came as a thought in my mind, not an audible voice, but I knew it was Him. The words were clear. Distinct. My sorrow-packed heart could not have mustered it.
And I knew I could believe Him. My mournful state turned a corner, into the beginning of a quiet assurance that the desires of my heart would come to pass.
PROMISES
The Bible has many promises that God has made to all of us. Here is a list that can be helpful to meditate on:
God has come to heal the brokenhearted (Luke 4:8).
God will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8).
God will take care of us, so we don’t need to worry (Philipians 4:6).
God will give us rest (Exodus 33:14).
God will answer our prayers (Matthew 7:7).
God is faithful (2 Timothy 2:13).
God will work all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).
God loves us (1 John 4:18).
Today I am taking a step to move out of my messy puddle of hopelessness. I am going to claim and hope for all of His promises. Even when trials come, which I know they will, because we live in a world with greed, illness and death, I will believe that He has a plan for me. I trust that He knows what He’s doing, and that all things will be worked together for my good. Are you ready to take this step?
Let’s pray: Lord, thank you for sending your son Jesus to heal my broken heart. My heart is in agony. It has been bruised and trampled upon, but I cling to your promise that you will never leave or forsake me. You care about me and I do not need to worry about my future. Thank you, Lord, for giving me rest for my soul. Thank you for hearing the cries of my heart and answering my prayers. I know you are faithful. I choose to believe that you are working all things together for my good. Thank you for your love. Today, I choose to put my hope in you.
Application: Write out the eight promises above, but make them personal. Say them out loud, and post them where you’ll see them often. Let them become part of your inner dialogue.
Journal prompt: Has God made a personal promise to you? Write it down. If not, write your hopes and dreams before the Lord and ask Him to speak to your heart. Sift through them together—and begin to hope again.
Thank you for reading. If this post spoke to you, will you consider buying me a coffee to fuel my writing?
To read more about healing from early childhood rejection in this series, click on the links: Introduction, Distrust, Worthlessness, Loneliness and Depression
Liz, your honesty hits harder than most sermons—and it doesn't even need a pulpit or PowerPoint slides.
That line—“My sorrow-packed heart could not have mustered it”—whew. That’s the sound of real hope cracking open the ceiling just enough to let the Light whisper in. Not the Pinterest-verse hope with daisy filters, but the gritty kind you clutch while kneeling in kitchen corners.
You’re right. Hope isn’t passive. It’s resistance. It’s protest in the shape of expectation. It’s throwing your anchor into a promise you haven’t seen yet and calling it real anyway.
And yes—God has not forgotten you. But let me add one thing:
You haven't forgotten Him either.
Even through every puddle of pain, every borrowed verse from your mother, every deferred dream—somewhere in your soul, a stubborn ember kept saying, “Write this down. Tell the truth. Light a path.”
Thank you for doing it.
Thank you for sharing this. Hopelessness can feel like the end, but it’s not. God is still near, even in the silence. Psalm 34:18 reminds us that He’s close to the brokenhearted. There’s still healing ahead even if it’s unfolding slowly.