How to Choose Hope Through God’s Word

Are you struggling to find hope? It’s not always easy to hold onto hope during hard times. Your hope may be slipping if you are going through a valley right now, but you can learn to choose hope through God’s Word with study and meditation.

Perhaps you have recently suffered loss, and your hope has taken a hit. Maybe you have been in survival mode so long that hope seems out of reach. Many things in life can sap our hope. It may feel like it’s outside your grasp, but that’s not the truth.

You can reorient your view toward hope by meditating on the truths in the Bible. By hiding these truths in your heart and mind day by day, you can renew your hope in the Lord. It takes time to retrain your thoughts and meditating on God’s Word can help you do that. In only a few weeks, you can have a more hopeful mindset when you choose hope through God’s Word.

What Does the Bible Say About Hope?

The Bible is full of verses that can point us toward hope when we feel down. You can meditate on verses about hope to counteract the negative thoughts in your mind. The Bible says our hope can be found in God alone, and we learn about God by studying and meditating on his Word.

You may not naturally be a hopeful person. And yet, you can choose hope by putting on a new mindset. When your mindset is rooted in the truth of God’s Word, it will be pointed back toward hope. With practice, you can transform your thinking from discouragement to hope.

Even if you are a hopeful person by nature, you also face temptations not to be hopeful, because that’s the human condition when life goes wrong. However, you can get back on track with hope when you hide God’s Word in your heart and mind.

Consider the following sample of verses about hope. Use them when you are tempted to feel doubtful or discouraged. The truths in these verses will point you back toward God and renew your hope in him.

Hope for the Poor in Spirit

But the needy will not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed. – Psalm 9:18

Whether you are poor in provisions or spirit, God offers hope for you. He knows all of your needs and does not ignore them. He promises that your hope will not always be crushed, and he will meet your needs in ways you may not expect. You can look forward to the future where God will restore your hope and lift you out of discouragement.

God Hears Your Cries

Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. – Psalm 10:17

If you are feeling helpless, you aren’t without hope. Cry out to God in prayer with all of your hurts. Express your unmet needs and longed-for hopes in honest prayers. You’ll feel comforted knowing that God hears you. He wants to draw close to you in prayer and help you where you feel helpless. Your prayers are precious to him.

Choose Honesty and Integrity

May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in you. – Psalm 25:21

When you pursue a life of honesty and integrity, your hope will be protected. Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one else is watching. Honesty means making every effort to live in truth. These pursuits will help protect you from discouragement as you put your hope in God.

Be Strong and Courageous

So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord! – Psalm 31:24

Perhaps you need hope to overcome a big challenge in your current situation. The Bible encourages you to be strong and courageous when you need hope. Not strong in your own strength, or courageous in your own courage, but relying on the Lord to give you his strength and courage to power your hope.
Your Help and Shield
We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. – Psalm 33:20

You can place full hope in the Lord because he promises to be your help and your shield. He will come alongside you in whatever struggle you are facing and point you toward hope. The Lord will also be your shield against negative thoughts that could hold you back. When your hope wavers, remember that you can trust him to help you and shield you.

Fight Discouragement

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my Savior and my God! – Psalm 42:11

Discouragement can be a huge roadblock to a life of hope. It’s a tool the devil uses to keep you distracted from the hope God wants you to have. Recognize that when you feel sad or discouraged, that’s the time to renew your hope in God. By praising him in prayer and singing, you can fight discouragement and choose hope.

Wait on the Lord

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. – Psalm 62:5

To truly make hope part of your thinking, you need to get quiet before God. Commit to spending fifteen minutes every day in prayer and Bible study, with no distractions. In that quiet time, affirm your hope in God. Wait quietly before him, trusting him to answer your prayers. Place your hope in him, believing that he’ll provide everything you need in his perfect timing.

Set Your Hope Anew
So, each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands. – Psalm 78:7

Each day is a new opportunity to set your hope anew on God. One of the best ways to do this every day is to reflect on God’s miracles, both the ones in the Bible and any you have seen in your life. Another way is to recommit yourself to obey God’s commands with the help of the Holy Spirit. In the morning, reflect on both of these in prayer and firmly restate your hope in God.

The Power of Christian Counseling

If you feel stuck in discouragement, hope may feel impossible to you. That’s a common dynamic among people who are grieving, anxious, or depressed. Yet the Bible holds out great hope for you. God wants you to choose hope, and you may need another caring person to help you find it. A compassionate Christian counselor can be that person for you.

In counseling sessions, your counselor will help you understand what’s blocking you from choosing hope. There could be unprocessed grief in your past that is holding you back. You may have faced difficulty or abuse that kept you from choosing hope. A Christian counselor is trained to help uncover your unhealed areas, bring the pain into the light, and help you heal.

The end goal of this healing process is a life of hope and joy. Your counselor will share techniques to help reset your mindset toward hope instead of discouragement. You will learn new ways to overcome grief, anxiety, and depression with your counselor’s help. Talk therapy and role-playing are just a couple of the techniques your counselor will use to help renew your hope.

There is no shame in reaching out for help in choosing hope. The counselors at Seattle Christian Counseling are ready to help you renew your hope in the Lord. Give us a call today to set up your first appointment. We’ll encourage you on your path of recovery and point you toward hope.