Finding Hope in the Midst of Trials

I’ve recently been doing a study on verses about hope in my verse mapping journal.  (You can read my post about the journal here.) I’m picking “hope” as my word for this year…for now anyway!  I don’t always keep the same focus all year because my needs change throughout the year depending on the circumstances of my life. But I have a lot to hope for in this new year…a home for our family, a good start for my oldest as he graduates high school this year and begins the next chapter of his life, good success in my online business, and on it goes.  I’m sure many of you have hopes in this new year as well.  Sometimes our hopes are fulfilled, and other times they are not.  Finding hope in the midst of trials can be difficult.

My family faced a lot of challenges this past year, and we are still facing of some of them. I found myself struggling not to lose hope that things would turn around eventually. I’ve struggled to believe that God was really taking care of us (though He always is). One of the passages on hope that I studied recently is Romans 5:3-5: 

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope. And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us.” 

We find joy in our spiritual growth.

One thing to note is that we find joy in tribulation not from the trial itself, but from what the trial is producing in us. Trials produce patience (endurance), experience or character (another translation states “proven character”), and hope.  For myself, it can be extremely hard to find joy in any trial in and of itself. However, with God’s help, I can strive to focus on finding joy in the things I am learning through the trial.  It is a relief to know that we don’t have to be happy about some of the tough things we go through…that would be really hard.  But we find joy in the trial because of the growth we experience from it.  I can wrap my head around that a little better!  

Hope is produced in us.

Another thing I discovered in my study is that hope is something that is produced in us when we go through a trial.  I realized that hope isn’t necessarily something we already have, but it is something we can develop from the trial.  I found encouragement by this especially because hanging on to hope can be challenging in some of the tough circumstances we face…death of a loved one, unexpected financial loss, chronic illness, etc.  However, as I struggle to hang on to hope during my trial, my faith is being tested and growing.  I either trust God is in control of things, or I don’t.  My hope grows as my faith grows.  The more I choose to trust Him in spite of what I’m facing, the more hope I have.  

While we know our only true hope is in God and our eternal hope of Heaven if we’ve trusted Christ, sometimes finding hope in the daily grind of life’s challenges is daunting.  Take comfort in the fact that your hope is something that can grow as you grow in Christ.  The more you seek Him and know Him and cling to His Word, the stronger your hope in Him will become.

Be sure to sign up for my newsletter below so you don’t miss any of my new posts!  Have a honey-filled day!