Where Do You Find Your Hope?

It had been six months since I’d successfully slept through the night. Anxious thoughts swirled in my mind, depression pressed on my chest like a weighted blanket, and stomach issues ate at me from the inside out. No matter where my mind searched, I felt broken and hopeless in every way.

Things are always going to be this way.
Just throw in the towel.
What do you even have left to cling to?

The enemy’s voices were loud. I felt like things would never get better. I truly believed maybe I should just give up and accept that my life would always be ruled by mental health struggles. But then, a glimmer of light peeked through the shades in my bedroom.

As the moon cascaded across the bleak night sky, the Lord reminded me of Romans 12:12. In this world, we will have trouble—physical and mental anguish included. But we can still have joy because he’s with us in our affliction.

That doesn’t mean we ignore or invalidate the pain, but that we stay faithful to him despite it. And you know what? Sometimes the pain and the thorn remain. It certainly did for Paul (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). Yet, in those moments of despair, I’m reminded where to find my hope: in Jesus Christ alone.
This holiday season, many are looking forward to Santa’s arrival, the newest gadgets, or spending time with loved ones. These are all good things. But when disappointment inevitably comes, we can lose sight of true hope.

In the Old Testament, God’s people waited for the Messiah. They knew he would come, but they didn’t know how. Even Mary and Joseph endured that period of great expectation—an uneasy, anxious kind of hope. In the New Testament, the disciples clung to Jesus’ promise that he would rise again, even as fear wrapped tightly around their hearts. In both cases, God’s people learned to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. Today, we’re called to do the same.

Where do you find your hope today? If your hope is in God and his Word, you’ll never be let down. He is faithful, steadfast, eternal, and true. Even when life doesn’t go as planned, we can rest assured that he has something better in store. As you await the 2025 Christmas season and the year ahead in 2026, consider where your hope truly lies. If it’s not in Christ, it will never satisfy.

Dear Jesus, teach me to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer—not just because that’s what your Word says, but because you are our eternal source of hope. Even when our world feels like it’s crashing down, remind us that in you, we have a hope that surpasses circumstance. You are good, you love us, and you have good plans in store. Amen.

Throughout this day: Do you worry about your future? Take time to reflect on where you place your hope. Journal about staying hopeful in desolate situations, and remember that Christ is with you through it all.