Never Lose Hope
It seems that Jacob was so rocked by the lies of his sons about Joseph's disappearance that he lost hope. Yes, he thought Joseph was dead, because of their lies, so he did not expect to ever see his son again.(Genesis 48:11) However, his attitude took a down turn. He allowed the reality of not seeing Joseph again to affect his whole life. I think his loss of hope in that area brought on depression. That is what losing hope does for any of us. We must never lose hope, but always hope in the Lord.
When we hope in the Lord, it does not mean that every lost child will come back. It does not mean that every event in our lives will have a story book ending. No, life is hard. When we hope in the Lord, we remain confident that He holds the future, and He can and will bring something good out of the trials of life for those who love Him and trust Him. He can work miracles, like He did in Joseph's life. He can give us peace in this life and joy in heaven with Him. We have hope, because He will never leave us or forsake us, and finally, we will be with Him in heaven forever.
If you feel yourself slipping into depression, pray diligently, presenting your fears and cares to the Lord. Then, don't give up. Worship Him. Join with other believers in prayer and worship. Get up, even if you do not feel like it, and go to serve Him. He is worthy. God can and will deliver all of his children from despair and depression, if we will continue to trust in Him and know He will take care of us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 50 and Exodus 1-2.
When we hope in the Lord, it does not mean that every lost child will come back. It does not mean that every event in our lives will have a story book ending. No, life is hard. When we hope in the Lord, we remain confident that He holds the future, and He can and will bring something good out of the trials of life for those who love Him and trust Him. He can work miracles, like He did in Joseph's life. He can give us peace in this life and joy in heaven with Him. We have hope, because He will never leave us or forsake us, and finally, we will be with Him in heaven forever.
If you feel yourself slipping into depression, pray diligently, presenting your fears and cares to the Lord. Then, don't give up. Worship Him. Join with other believers in prayer and worship. Get up, even if you do not feel like it, and go to serve Him. He is worthy. God can and will deliver all of his children from despair and depression, if we will continue to trust in Him and know He will take care of us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 50 and Exodus 1-2.