Why do I need it?

The Bible tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Because of this, God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for all our sins so that we don’t have to face the punishment for our sins but instead have the opportunity for “living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” which is an eternal inheritance kept for us (Romans 3:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 6:23, John 3:16-17, 1 Peter 1:3-4).

How can I have it?

If you have never put your faith in Jesus, the news gets even better. This kind of faith is not the kind you have to earn and is not dependent on having a blameless past (which would be impossible, and I would be disqualified). In fact, the whole point of it is because we are all to blame for our sins and we need a Savior. To have this unwavering resurrection hope it starts with recognizing that you are a sinner and in need of a Savior (Romans 3:23). Then, the Bible says in Romans 10:9 for you to “confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, [and] you will be saved.”

If you’ve never prayed the prayer of salvation before and are feeling a little nervous, your prayer can look something like this.

Example: God, I confess that I am a sinner and need a Savior. I believe that Jesus is Lord and that you [God] raised him from the dead. Thank you, Jesus, for taking the punishment for my sin and giving me the resurrection hope of eternity with you.

The Bible also says that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13) so if you think your past is too big for Jesus’ forgiveness, you’re wrong. Your past is in the past and today is a new beginning with Jesus. <happy tears>

“Thank you, God, for this new beginning. Help me to walk in the truth of who I am in You, forgiven and saved. Amen.”

What if I’m a Christian and I still feel hopeless?

If you are a Christian but still feel hopeless, you are not alone. I’ve been in that position before many times myself. I’ve been knocked down so many times by circumstances in life that I almost gave up. Then there were times that I thought I was anchoring my hope in Jesus and later discovered that I was anchoring my hope in what Jesus might do to fix my situation instead. Ouch. Can’t He just fix it? He can have alllllll the glory and my situation can be more enjoyable. We’ll call it a win-win. But that’s not always how God works, and that realization can be really painful sometimes. Especially if you feel like there are others around you that have the blessing that you are longing for.

If this is how you are feeling, let me tell you what helped with my hopelessness. Spending time with Jesus by reading my Bible. That’s probably not what you want to hear if you’ve been in a really hard situation for a long time and especially if it feels like there won’t be any relief for you on this side of heaven. I can’t fix your situation. And I know I probably haven’t walked in your shoes either though I can say I’m not a stranger to feeling lonely, broken or hopeless. I’m also so sorry for the pain you are experiencing and how it’s brought you to this painful place. Jesus also was not a stranger to feeling lonely and broken. In my tear-filled experiences I’ve discovered that time spent with Jesus in his word changes everything. Mostly by changing me.

If you want to draw from the hope that Jesus is then you need to spend time with Jesus. Think of it as a starting point. Hope often is not a light-switch moment but a slow growth as you spend time in his Word. So start small and stay committed.

I’m praying for you.