HOPE: An Anchor of Faith

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This topic is potentially a tender topic for some of my readers. As we walk through this topic, I want to invite you to honor your own boundaries. Sometimes, God invites us to step into difficult spaces, but sometimes He invites us to step into safe, professional care. If this conversation feels overwhelming rather than enlightening, I strongly encourage you to speak with a therapist or counselor. I am just a fellow Christian sharing my story and writings, not a licensed professional, and I want to ensure you are safe and supported.

HOPE: An Anchor of Faith

No matter your stance or position in life, chances are you have experienced moments or seasons when you have not felt God – Father, Son, Holy Spirit – in your life. We as Christians have never been promised a life with no trials – no suffering.

The good news is we have The Good News - The Word of God! And this is exactly where we ought to turn to begin discovering how we are to have HOPE during our trials and suffering, including the suffering that we know about happening around the world.

Note: to remain within copyright laws, all scriptures are paraphrased by the author. For direct quotes, please refer to your Bible or its link to biblegateway.com.

The Apostle Paul said ‘may God, who is the source of HOPE, through the Holy Spirit, give you joy and peace, so that you will be overflowing with HOPE.’ [Romans 15:13]

Within this passage, we are provided with the insight that the Holy Spirit is part of our receiving and knowing HOPE. The Holy Spirit is the Advocate – Paraclete – Comforter – Helper – sent to us, dwelling with us and within us.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote, ‘The Lord says, I know exactly what I am doing with your life. I have designed a great plan for you, which is meant to give you HOPE. Seek me and you will find me. I will restore all for you; and lead you back from your exile.’ [Jeremiah 29:11-14]

A sense of being in exile might be what we feel while we are experiencing a trial. Within experiences of exile, many of us feel that we are alone. Some people might even believe that God doesn’t care; and they might cry out: “God, where are you? Why have you forsaken me?” In his message, Jeremiah is writing to the Jews who are in exile in what is known as the Babylonian Exile. Jeremiah, as a prophet, is receiving the message from God and sharing it with the exiled Jews. This passage is truly meant to provide us encouragement to seek God, and the HOPE that we will find Him; and He will restore everything for us as He leads us back from our exile.

The apostle Peter wrote, ‘Praise God, the Father of Jesus! Out of His infinite mercy, He has given us a completely fresh start in life. Because Jesus came back from the dead, we now possess an active, unstoppable HOPE that will never die because of our inheritance - which is being kept in heaven until it is time to be revealed to you. Rejoice in this message, and remember that for a short time you may suffer through trials, which will test your faith.’ [1 Peter 1:3-7]

Because Peter was an Apostle, taught directly by Jesus Christ, we can be assured that this message is truly from God. Within this brief passage, we are reminded that we will face trials here on earth — trials that test and stretch our faith. This is simply part of being human in a fallen world.

When we walk through suffering, our responses may vary. Sometimes we feel strong; other times we feel overwhelmed, confused, or numb. None of this means we love Christ any less or belong to Him any less. We aren’t expected to be perfect in our reactions. It is human nature to lament — to feel abandoned, to cry out, to ask “why.”

And this lament is not a sign of weak faith; it is actually a prayer. Lament is often the very first movement of the heart toward God in moments of despair. When we cry out, we are already reaching for Him — even if our words feel raw, confused, or unfinished. Lament is the beginning of relationship, not the breaking of it. Even when lament doesn’t feel like trust, it is still the heart turning toward God from within pain, rising from the very places where we feel most alone.

But when even a small glimmer of truth reaches our hearts — the truth that Jesus is our HOPE — we are gently invited to turn toward Him. That turning may be quiet, hesitant, or imperfect. It may look like a whispered prayer, a sigh, or simply sitting in His presence. In those moments, we can allow God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — to carry what we cannot carry and to work within the exile we are experiencing.

Upon reading these scripture passages, we receive the confirmation that God is the giver of HOPE. And we can find many other passages throughout Scripture that also provide this truth to us. Throughout Scripture, we are told that we will suffer through trials, yet, we are encouraged to rejoice in the promises which we have received, thereby providing us HOPE.

What is this HOPE? I think everyone can agree that when life is great and everything is dropping in our lap, when our health and the health of loved ones is excellent - when we know no trials, it is easy to grasp onto the concept of HOPE. But what is this HOPE when our life feels empty, burdened, heavy, unfulfilled, grieved, etc.?

It is also important to distinguish true HOPE from false hope. False hope relies on outcomes we can control or predict. True HOPE rests entirely in God - His character, His promises, and His presence. False hope disappoints because it is rooted in human strength; true HOPE endures because it is rooted in divine love.

We do not generate HOPE from within ourselves. HOPE is not a feeling which we can force upon ourselves. Rather, HOPE is an anchor of our faith.

Having HOPE means that we are trusting God by entrusting our very life to Him – in the positive times as well as the negative. Life doesn’t always play out the way we think it will or even dream it will. This is part of the human condition. The Word of God has told us throughout many passages that we may and will experience trials and suffering.

Why is this? Because of the original sin we inherited from Adam and Eve. This gravely affected the human nature of free will - ours as well as others in our life. The actions and behavior of people within our lives, including ourselves, has a role in our suffering. Disease and illness have a role in our suffering. Upheaval throughout the world has a role in our suffering. The reality is that our lives are touched by countless forces, some within our control and many far beyond it, affecting us financially, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. This is where our trials come from, and where our suffering may place us into an experience of exile.

Yet with God, there is HOPE!

Again, we turn to the Word of God, where we will begin to discover how we work through Him to experience and know HOPE.

Here are a few resources to consider putting into your tool chest of HOPE:

1) It is okay, if needed, to cry out to God with a question of lament, such as “where are you in this?” [For reassurance that this is okay, turn to Matthew 23:37; 27:46 and Luke 13:34-35; 19:41-44, where you will find the laments of Jesus.] Take your lamenting to God in a moment of prayer. Sit in His presence, and just BE. Speak to Him, and allow Him to speak to you. Allow Him to comfort you; to encourage you; to give you HOPE.

2) One key thing is to have an understanding that we will have trials which cause us to suffer; and we may have to feel that pain for a period of time. We may need to walk with it. Sit with it. Get to know it. Experience it. As previously mentioned, Peter told us that we may have trials which will test our faith – with fire. Yes, our faith will be tested! While God never delights in our suffering, He transforms every trial into a place of refinement, strengthening, and grace. In doing so, He draws us deeper into His heart. But then Peter finalizes this teaching with a statement that you will obtain salvation as a result of your faith. [1 Peter 1:6-9] This is not only a statement, but it is truth! It is a promise.

3) Read the Word of God for encouragement, motivation, peace, grace, and HOPE, through passages such as:

- John 15:19: ‘If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. But you do not belong to the world because I have chosen you. That is why the world hates you.’

As Christians, we ought not want to belong to this world. This is merely the side of the veil in which we grow our relationship with God. Living in the world is where and how we learn to know, love, and serve the Lord.

We are not meant to belong to this world because our true homeland is with God. Jesus reminds us that “My kingdom is not of this world” [John 18:36], and St. Paul teaches that “our citizenship is in heaven” [Phil 3:20]. To cling too tightly to the world is to forget that we are pilgrims passing through, learning to love God so we may live with Him forever.

- Psalm 34:18-19: ‘the Lord is standing next to you when your heart is completely broken, and He will personally rescue you when your spirit feels totally crushed. The righteous people have many afflictions, from which God will deliver him.’

This passage offers a tender image: the Lord standing beside you when your heart is broken. Even if you have never experienced a person physically standing with you in your pain, God wants you to know that He has always been near. Jesus does not wait for us to be strong; He draws close precisely when we feel most fragile. His presence is not dependent on our ability to feel it - He stands with us because love compels Him to stay.

- Isaiah 40:31: ‘Those who look to the Lord for strength will find a fresh supply; they will rise above their problems like eagles, running forward without burning out and walking through the dark moments without collapsing.’

Isaiah encourages us to turn to the Lord when we are worn down, when we have no strength to move forward or to get through a trial. Even when we do physically collapse, we will not collapse to the point of not rising again. These trials place us into a kind of fire—not to destroy us, but to transform us. Think of the art of glass blowing: the raw material must enter the flame before it can be shaped into something beautiful. In the same way, when we entrust ourselves to God, the fire of suffering becomes the place where His hands gently mold us, strengthen us, and form us into a new creation. What emerges is not what we were, but what grace has made us.

4) When you are feeling overwhelmed and/or hopeless, focus on one good/positive thing for the next few minutes, even for the next hour. What are the treasures in your life that you can grasp on to? How can you discover HOPE through these?

Many people who have endured profound hardship - survivors of accidents, illness, war, or loss - often share that what carried them through was a single point of HOPE. Some held onto the thought of seeing loved ones again. Others focused on one remaining ability, one small joy, or one reason to keep living. Scripture echoes this truth: “For the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross” [Hebrews 12:2]. HOPE does not erase suffering, but it gives us something to reach toward as we walk through it.

5) Grasp onto every speck of faith you can find - even if it feels smaller than a mustard seed. Jesus tells us that even the tiniest seed of faith contains divine power [Matthew 17:19-20]. God does not measure the size of your faith; He treasures the direction of your heart. When you turn toward Him, even weakly, He strengthens what is fragile and multiplies what is small. Your future rests in His hands, and He is already working on your behalf.

As one author writes, healing requires “a willingness to see yourself as you are… working with unaddressed pain and darkness.” The way out of pain is not around it, but through it. This echoes Jesus’ invitation to focus on the present moment [Matthew 6:34], trusting that God meets us in the “dirt” of our lives, transforming what feels broken into something new.

6) Remind yourself that you are united in Christ’s suffering and glory. When we read Scripture, we are reminded that God came to earth in the person of Jesus so He could enter our suffering from the inside. He did not save us from a distance; He stepped into our human condition, carrying our sorrows and walking our roads. By uniting Himself to our suffering, He opened the way for us to be united to His glory. Every trial becomes a place where we meet Christ, who has already walked ahead of us and now walks beside us.

- Romans 8:17: ‘We are God’s children; and therefore, we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.’

To be an heir with Christ means that nothing we suffer is wasted. Every hardship becomes a thread woven into the glory God is preparing for us.

- Philippians 3:8-12: ‘I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death; and that I will be resurrected from the dead.’

To “know Christ” is not merely intellectual—it is experiential. We come to know Him most intimately when we walk the path He walked: surrender, trust, and resurrection.

- 1 Peter 4:12-13: ‘do not be taken aback by the difficult things you will experience as your proving. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when the splendor of Jesus is revealed.’

Peter reminds us that trials are not signs of abandonment but signs of participation. When we share in Christ’s sufferings, we are being prepared to share in His joy.

7) Keep in mind that suffering produces character and HOPE within us, as well as prepares us for Eternal Glory with God:

- Romans 8:15-25: God has given us His Spirit, not to make us fearful, but to make us His children who can cry out to Him as “Abba, Father.” The Spirit assures us that we belong to God and share in Christ’s suffering and His glory. The trials we face now cannot compare to the glory God will one day reveal. All creation longs to be set free from its brokenness, and we long for the fullness of our redemption as well. This longing is part of our hope, for hope looks forward to what we do not yet see. And so we wait with patient trust for what God has promised.

Paul reminds us that whatever we suffer now is not even worth comparing to the glory God is preparing for us. This is not meant to minimize our pain; it is meant to magnify our future. Every trial becomes a thread woven into the eternal tapestry of God’s redemption. What feels heavy now will one day be light in the radiance of His glory. Our suffering is temporary; His glory is everlasting.

- 2 Corinthians 4:16-18: ‘Take heart, and keep in mind that our earthly body is actively deteriorating, while our spiritual nature isactively being renewed through the trials which come upon us. Our present troubles will not last long; and they do have a purpose, which is to produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last for eternity! So we ought not look at the troubles we can see now for they are short lived; rather, we fix our eyes on things of God that cannot be seen, for they are eternal.’

Paul urges us to “take heart,” because even as our earthly bodies weaken, our inner selves are being renewed day by day. The trials that press upon us are not meaningless; they are producing within us a weight of glory that far outweighs them and will endure forever. So we learn to shift our gaze: not toward what is seen and temporary, but toward what is unseen and eternal. What we see now is passing away. What God is forming within us will never fade.

- Romans 5:1-5: Paul encourages us by informing us that we are “justified by faith”, and we have the peace of Christ, through whom we have been given entry to the state of grace. We ought to find joy in our trials and suffering because they produce endurance, character, and ultimately, a firm HOPE through God.’

Because we have been justified by faith, we stand in the grace of Christ — a grace that holds us steady even in hardship. Paul encourages us to find a strange and holy joy in our trials, not because suffering is good, but because God uses it to shape us. Paul states that suffering produces endurance; endurance shapes character; and character gives birth to a HOPE that does not disappoint. This hope is not optimism. This HOPE is the living presence of the Holy Spirit poured into our hearts.

- James 1:2-4: James advises us to 'joyfully consider your trials as opportunities for growth, as the testing of your faith develops perseverance, leading to spiritual maturity and completeness. And you will lack for nothing.’

Perseverance, when allowed to finish its work, leads to maturity and completeness — the kind of wholeness that lacks nothing. Trials become classrooms of grace, where God teaches us how to trust Him more deeply and walk with Him more faithfully.

I pray that in some small way, this article has been a vessel through which God has offered you what your heart needs in your search for understanding the HOPE He gives. May the Lord bless you abundantly with His mercy, grace, peace, joy, love, and His unshakable HOPE!

Reflection Prompts

Before you begin these prompts, take a quiet moment to breathe and invite God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — into this space. These reflections are not meant to be rushed or completed in one sitting. Instead, let them unfold slowly over the next few days or longer. Some prompts may speak directly to your heart; others may not connect with your current season, and that is perfectly okay. The purpose is simply to open gentle places where God can meet you, strengthen you, and reveal the HOPE He is forming within you. Move at the pace of grace. Journal if it helps you listen more deeply, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you tenderly.

1. God’s Nearness — Recall a moment when you felt God close to you in suffering. If you did not feel Him at all, what would it mean to trust that He was still present, standing beside you as Psalm 34:18 promises?

2. True Hope — Where in your life do you sense true HOPE rising? Where have you leaned on false hope rooted in circumstances, outcomes, or your own strength?

3. Endurance — How has God used past trials to build endurance within you? What qualities or virtues have been strengthened through hardship?

4. Character Formation — In what ways is God shaping your character right now? Are there places where He is inviting you to surrender, soften, or trust Him more deeply?

5. Eternal Perspective — What helps you lift your eyes from what is temporary to what is eternal? How might God be inviting you to shift your focus toward His unseen work?

6. Union with Christ — Where do you sense Christ uniting Himself to your suffering? What does it mean to share in both His cross and His glory?

7. The Holy Spirit’s Renewal — How is the Holy Spirit renewing your inner self day by day, even in places that feel fragile, weary, or unfinished?

8. Mustard-Seed Faith — What small seed of faith do you have today? What simple act of trust can you offer God in this moment?

9. Your Story of HOPE — Where has God brought HOPE out of hardship in your life? How might your story become a source of encouragement for someone else?

Closing Prayer

Holy Father, You see every part of my heart — the places that feel strong, the places that feel fragile, and the places that long for Your healing touch. I ask You now to draw near. Wrap me in Your mercy. Steady me with Your grace. Fill me with Your peace.

Lord Jesus, You enter my suffering so that I will never walk through it alone. Unite my trials with Yours, and let Your resurrection life rise within me. Teach me to trust You in the fire, to cling to You in the storm, and to rest in You when I cannot see the way forward.

Holy Spirit, breathe HOPE into me. Renew my inner self day by day. Shape endurance within me. Form character within me. Grow a HOPE within me that does not disappoint, because it is rooted in Your love poured into my heart.

May Your mercy surround me, Your grace sustain me, and Your HOPE anchor me now and always. Amen.

©2026 Brenda Wheeler Ministries & Brenda Lee Wheeler

Following copyright laws, Scripture quotations are paraphrased in the devotional voice of the author.

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