When Hope Feels Intangible
Written by Madeleine Grace Scholefield, Australia
It was 2014, and I’d lost hope.
I lay in bed with tears staining the pages of my journal as I tried to put what I felt into words.
I can’t do this anymore, I wrote. What’s the point?
I was sixteen and battling depression that left me hauntingly close to believing my life would be better if it just... ended.
I’ve felt hopeless several times in my life, both before—and since—that day.
Do you ever feel the same?
It wasn’t that I didn’t have faith, mind you. I loved Jesus, and I knew the promise of salvation that His death on the cross gave me. But in those moments when despair crept in, my hope in the promise of heaven felt far-off; intangible.
Have you ever felt this way before? Like you’ve reached your breaking point, life is hard, and even though you know God has ultimately won the day... you just can’t see a way forward?
I know many of us have, and you know what? We’re not alone — lots of people in the Bible faced struggles and despair.
People like Paul. “We are hard pressed on every side...perplexed, persecuted, struck down...” he wrote to the early church in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9. Like Paul, we can feel trapped, confused, and despairing.
And yet.
In the midst of despair, a glimpse of hope remains for us.
Why?
Because He remains.
Hope For Eternity, But Also for Right Now
The source of our hope is Jesus; it’s in knowing that through His death and resurrection, we can experience forgiveness from our sins and the glorious gift of heaven; an eternity spent with our almighty, loving creator.
This promise of eternal life to all who believe (John 3:16) gives us a greater perspective for our lives, so that in the midst of our suffering and life’s struggles, we can look forward to a world without crying or pain (Revelation 21:4).
But although the promise of salvation—and a future in heaven—is crucial to our faith and worth remembering, it doesn’t always feel tangible right now. How can we carry that hope with us in the present, when life feels difficult?
We can hope in God’s presence.
Because Jesus came to earth and gave Himself up for us, we have access to our Father; the sin that once separated us from God was wiped clean by Jesus’ sacrifice.
And God doesn’t only promise us a future with Him in heaven to shape our perspective; He also gives us hope by promising to never leave us.
God’s Holy Spirit is a gift each of us can receive when we choose to put our trust in Him, and it means that the very same Spirit who was there before the world began and who exists in beautiful co-relationship with God our Father and Jesus, His Son, lives in us.
So you see, biblical hope gives us not only an eternal perspective for our futures, but a tangible sense of God’s nearness today.
It’s a hope that both transcends earth and time and space—that promises eternal life in heaven with our Creator for all who believe—but that ALSO means something for us right here, right now. And whether, like me, you’ve been a Christian all your life, or you’re new to exploring Jesus, the same hope applies. It’s on offer for all of us, because the author of hope dwells within us.
As Jesus promised His disciples before He ascended into heaven, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
When I’ve faced despair in my life, I’ve found hope in reminding myself of who God is and remembering that He’s with me. I turn to Bible passages that remind me of His goodness and promises, like these:
He is with me; He will never leave or forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:8)
He has already overcome sin and death (John 16:33)
Though I may stumble, He won’t let me fall (Psalm 37:23-24)
He gives rest for the soul to all who are weary and burdened (Matthew 11:28-29)
His grace is enough for me; His power is made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9)
He has plans to give me a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11)
His peace guards my heart and mind (Philippians 4:6-7)
He fights for us (Exodus 14:14)
He works for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28)
He gives strength to the weary (Isaiah 40:29)
He remembers my sin no more (Hebrews 8:12)
He gives good gifts to those who ask (Matthew 7:7-8)
When the clouds roll over and I begin to feel hopeless, I like having these verses at hand to remind me of where I place my hope; not only in what can sometimes feel like a far-off promise of heaven, but in the God who knows my every breath and who sits with me through the storms.
Hope Despite Our Circumstances
Earlier, I shared some of Paul’s words to the Corinthians acknowledging the very real struggles and feelings of hopelessness they would have been facing. But I left out an important part; Paul didn’t just sit in the struggle, he actively clung to his hope and chose to declare that they would be alright despite their circumstances.
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed,” he wrote, “perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
Did you catch that?
It’s possible to have hope despite feeling hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted or struck down. Our hope in Christ goes beyond our present circumstances.
Someone who knew that all too well was David. One of my favourite of his psalms is Psalm 43, because he’s in the thick of it; he’s not having a good time. David is surrounded by his enemies, probably afraid, feeling a little let down by God, and his soul is “downcast” and “disturbed”. And yet he ends his song—this cry of help—with these words, addressed to his own soul: “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my saviour and my God” (Psalm 43:5).
David chooses to believe that God is a god worth hoping in, even when he doesn’t feel it. He’s saying that even though things aren’t great right now, he knows God will come through for him, and that is where his hope lies.
Like David, I want my hope to be an “even though” hope. A hope that says:
Even though today is hard, I know God is with me.
Even though there is suffering in the world, I know my God is good and merciful.
Even though I’m afraid I’m not worth it, I know God gave everything for me.
What about you, are you “waiting in hope for the Lord” (Psalm 33:20)? What does hope mean for you right here, right now, in the midst of whatever you’re going through?
When I feel troubled, I want my words to be like those of David in Psalm 33:22 and say, “May your unfailing love be with me, Lord, even as I put my hope in you.”
Thank you for reading! If you liked this piece, you might also appreciate these posts on similar themes from our blog:
6 People in the Bible Who Struggled With Their Mental Health