{"id":1183,"date":"2024-10-28T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-28T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lorihatcher.com\/?p=1183"},"modified":"2024-09-06T10:28:05","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T14:28:05","slug":"5-things-to-do-when-you-feel-hopeless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lorihatcher.com\/?p=1183","title":{"rendered":"5 Things to Do When You Feel Hopeless"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I can\u2019t imagine a more desperate situation than having a child who is near death.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would be a terrifying experience, no matter what the age of the child. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have two miracle nephews, both of whom were frighteningly close to death, but whose lives God chose to spare. I pray every day that these men will never forget God\u2019s mercy to them and never take their lives for granted.\u00a0

I thought of my nephews today when I read of another frantic parent on the pages of Scripture\u2014Jairus. His 12-year-old daughter was sick and near death. This Judean family lacked the benefit of modern medicine, state-of-the-art equipment, and well-trained specialists.\u00a0

All they had was prayer.\u00a0

And Jesus.\u00a0<\/strong>

I hope you never have a child who is critically ill, but we all face faith challenges like the one Jairus and his wife encountered. We\u2019d be wise to learn from his example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are five principles we can apply from Luke 8 when we encounter a faith challenge:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n



1. Run to Jesus for help. <\/strong>

Jairus flung himself at Jesus\u2019 feet and begged him to heal his daughter, and we must do the same. While we should avail ourselves of every resource available and every human being who can assist us, it\u2019s crucial that we begin and end with God. We must recognize it is God who holds our lives, our futures, our fortunes, and our families in his hands. He is the gatekeeper who can provide and direct all other resources our way. 

2. When things look darkest, don\u2019t give up<\/strong>. 

Friends met Jairus on the way and told him not to bother the teacher anymore, that his daughter was dead. Short of death, we mustn\u2019t believe the lies that say our situation is hopeless. The pages of Scripture and the history of our world hold innumerable examples of God\u2019s miraculous power. He can cause a barren womb to bear a child, a jobless man to provide for his family, a lonely orphan to find a home, and a comatose patient to speak again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing is impossible for God. NOTHING. 

3. Don\u2019t be afraid.<\/strong> 

When the news arrived that Jairus\u2019 daughter had died, Jesus issued a challenge to him: \u201cDo not be afraid. Only believe . . .\u201d We too must rest in the perfect love of Jesus, trust his plan and purpose for our lives, and allow his peace to replace our fear. We must remember that \u201cwhatsoever is not of faith is sin,\u201d (Rom. 14:23) and not surrender to the sin of unbelief. It hinders the effectiveness of our prayers and steals valuable energy from our efforts. We cannot allow it to hamstring us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


4. Watch God work.<\/strong> 

When he arrived at the home, Jesus commanded everyone with no faith to leave the room. Then he demonstrated his sovereign power over man\u2019s greatest enemy, death, by raising Jairus\u2019 daughter to life again. While we may not be praying for someone who is critically ill, the same power that raised the dead is available to us through Jesus Christ. 

And if your faith is weak?<\/strong> Remember that faith is like a muscle\u2014the more we use it, the stronger it grows. If you have only tiny faith, pray mustard seed prayers and watch God answer. Every prayer victory will make it easier to believe God for something greater the next time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


5. Don\u2019t be afraid to ask God to give you more faith.<\/strong>\u00a0The father of the demon-possessed boy did: “I do believe;\u201d he confessed to Jesus, \u201chelp me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).\u00a0

I know there are some reading this post who have prayed, hoped, and believed God would spare your loved ones, yet they still died. I\u2019ve been on that side of the hospital bed too, and I know your sorrow. I don\u2019t always understand God\u2019s ways, but\u00a0I know we can trust him, even when our hearts are breaking.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others may be struggling with infertility or fighting to stretch an unemployment check. Your heart may be aching for a prodigal or experiencing a broken marriage. Unless God shows us that his will is different than what we\u2019ve been praying, no matter how dark the situation seems, we must continue to pray for God\u2019s miraculous deliverance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus\u2019 words to Jairus are his words to us as well: 

\u201cDo not be afraid. Only believe . . .\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does Your Prayer Life Need Refreshing?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We know Bible reading and prayer are vital parts of our faith, but what happens when our prayer lives become stagnant and our quiet times grow stale? We need something more than just familiar verses and the command to pray. In Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise<\/em>,<\/a> Lori Hatcher<\/a> shares relevant, five-minute devotions that spotlight unusual prayer verses in the Bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each devotion ends with a Power Point<\/em><\/strong> (a spiritual truth to empower your faith) and a Praise Prompt<\/em><\/strong> (a short prayer designed to magnify God and make your faith soar). The Live It Out<\/em><\/strong> section challenges you to apply what you\u2019ve learned right now<\/em> for immediate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re tired of your all-too-quiet quiet time, Refresh Your Prayers<\/em><\/a> is the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UNcommon Book on Prayer \u2013 Unusual Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Available now at Amazon.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Refresh<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Have you subscribed to Refresh<\/em>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019d like to receive a weekly 5-minute devotion to help you rediscover the excitement of God\u2019s Word, CLICK HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I can\u2019t imagine a more desperate situation than having a child who is near death.  It would be a terrifying experience, no matter what the age of the child. I have two miracle nephews, both of whom were frighteningly close to death, but whose lives God chose to spare. I pray every day that these […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,37,82,21],"tags":[233,235,234,236,237],"class_list":["post-1183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-christian-living","category-family","category-prayer","tag-hopeless","tag-jairuss-daughter","tag-luke-8","tag-mark-9","tag-what-to-do-when-we-feel-hopeless"],"yoast_head":"\n5 Things to Do When You Feel Hopeless - Lori Hatcher<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What should we do when things seem hopeless? 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