HOW TO MOVE FROM DESPAIR TO HOPE

August 1, 2025

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

1. FACE THE CHALLENGES (WITH FAITH). “Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness” (Lamentations 3:19). Lamentations 3 was an interesting transitional moment in the prophet Jeremiah’s life. He recognized his challenges with a willingness to face off with them. 
 
2. GUARD YOUR THOUGHTS. “Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me” (Lamentations 3:20). Jeremiah had been remembering all the misery, so his soul became weighed down. He even said that he had lost hope (3:18). What Jeremiah focused on, he became. 
 
3. SHIFT YOUR EYES TO THE LORD.“This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope” (Lamentations 3:21). Jeremiah was facing huge challenges, but he made a pivot from focusing on all the negativity that bummed him out, to who God is and His promises. 
 
4. WAKE UP TO GOD’S NEW MERCIES. “The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Jeremiah had a breakthrough moment by glorifying God instead of remembering all the problems. Aren’t you glad there is a reset button every 24 hours? Sorrow may last for the evening, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). 
 
5. GOD IS YOUR PORTION. “‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I have hope in Him’” (Lamentations 3:24). Jeremiah goes from the general goodness of God to who God is to him personally. God is your portion – the best part of your life; therefore, you have hope!
 
6. WAIT ON GOD. “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him” (Lamentations 3:25). Those who wait on the Lord gain new strength (Isaiah 40:31). There is a gaining when you spend time trusting God, waiting on Him. Waiting is not passive or idle – you are excitedly anticipating what God is going to do! 

DEFINITION
hope, noun
In the New Testament the “expectation of good.” In the Old Testament hope is expressed by several different words meaning “safety, security, trust.”

SAY THIS OUT LOUD: 
The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him” (Lamentations 3:22-24).

^{Copyright © 2025 St. Louis Family Church, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. 
“Hope, N.” The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Moody Publishers, 1988.}