So what should you hope for in tough times? Well, I wish I could say that this book will show you how God will make your negative situation disappear instantly or in a short amount of time. It would be great to present some secrets and keys here that will guarantee financial stability, the right job, medical and emotional health, and restored relationships. In reality, those solutions do happen in some situations. I have experienced them in my own life and those of many others. And I hope this book will help you do your part to help them happen. Tough times can and do get better!
However, some situations do not go away, no matter what we do or however hard we pray. We don’t get the guarantee, and it is unsettling and disturbing. But that is where we learn of a deeper sort of hope than simply that the problem will disappear. We learn to hope in God and in His character, that is, who He is inside Himself. We hope in the love that moves Him to be for us and in His power that strengthens us and changes our circumstances. Hope in God is never about simply finding some way to get Him to make things better, though I always pray that for myself and those I love. God has a much larger view of our lives from His vantage point. It is a view of what we need that is based on His intimate knowledge of us.
He loves you and wants to help you, but He will do it His way and in His time. God’s best for you can mean a lot of things. The payoff may be today, or it may be at another time through another avenue you haven’t thought of but that He provides. It may be that He creates a life full of meaning and purpose for you. It may be something He is doing internally in your soul and character. Or it may be something that you won’t find out about on this side of the grave. Hope in God always, ultimately, needs to be the assured hope that God’s love will move Him to do what is best for you.
You may think that this description of hope is too broad: What if what is best for me is something I am afraid of? What if it’s that I won’t get the job that I need? Or that the marriage won’t last? Or my surgery won’t be successful? Can’t God get more specific than that so I can feel some hope? That concern is understandable. We all have our needs, fears, desires, and dreams that we feel strongly about, and they aren’t insignificant. They need to be paid attention to. There are several sources of hope than can stand you in good stead during your struggle.
The Promises of God
The Bible is full of promises from God to His people. One of their purposes is to provide real and sustaining hope for us during our darkness. God’s character is reflected in His promises to us. They are commitments He makes to us so that we will know He is actively working for our best: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope'” (Jer. 29:11, NLT).
Narratives in the Bible
We see over and over again stories of people’s lives in which God helps, rescues, changes and transforms them. These are the underdog stories, the ones we can identify with when we are in hard times. The little guy wins: The nation of Israel is set free from slavery. David defeats Goliath. Jesus heals the demoniac. The stories give us hooks to hold on to. We see that God is active and reaching down to help His people whom He loves. He isn’t sitting on His throne, waiting for the universe to wind down. He is engaged.
When I am in a difficult situation, I sometimes go to whatever I am reading in my Bible that day and ask God: “Please give me a promise or a story that will give me hope. I need it today.” And time and time again, it happens.
Stories From Yesterday and Today
I am a big believer in stories of hope from people today and in history as well. In terms of today, when the media takes the slant of “If it bleeds, it leads,” we need some good news that is also true news. Real-life examples of people whose lives God has stepped into and done good things in can bring a great deal of hope. They help give us a reality check by bringing God, hard times, and our situations up close and personal. In these stories, we find people with whom we can identify because they have been there, just where we are.
There is a famous psychological experiment that measured the ability of rats to keep afloat in a fish tank full of water. There were two tanks with several rats in each. In one tank the scientists measured how long it took for rats to give up and start sinking. In the other, a scientist, at frequent intervals, reached her hand in the tank and rescued one or another of the rats from sinking. The other paddling rats observed their companions being rescued. But in the first tank, no one saw any rescue. The result of the experiment was that the rats left in the rescue tank lasted longer than those in the other. They had real hope. Seeing their buddies get help gave them more power to continue. And when we see and hear stories of people who have struggled and whom God has helped, we can tread water longer. And instead of sinking, we can swim.
Abby Trivett 
