Praying for Hope

“Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times.” Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭12‬ ‭

I often see people who have lost hope, it is the deepest level of depression. Hope is what allows us to find joy even in the toughest of situations. It is about what is to come. We don’t need hope if we already have what we want.

As a social worker, I often find myself standing in that gap for clients. Praying they will get a
glimpse of a better life that is still to come on the other side of their current struggle. It is dark to journey without hope.

There are times that situations truly are unchangeable. I can’t bring back someone’s loved one. I don’t have the ability to turn back the clock on infidelity and heart break. I can’t change a difficult diagnosis. I can only walk with them thru acceptance of the situation and then when they are ready to hope again help them find joy in a new normal.

It takes patience, because it can take time to heal. It takes time to walk through instead of
avoiding the troubles. It takes patience to move past the setbacks that do come. Most people don’t move forward in a straight path. Helping others learn to give themself grace in the moment they feel like they are failing.
It takes practice. I have to fight the same battle myself.

Prayer is the biggest thing I can do for my clients. I know God has given me wisdom and I have the education and ongoing training of skills to help others. I also know God is the great counselor. He can do more in a moment than I can accomplish in years of therapy. He knows my clients better than they know themselves. He knows what they are not saying and He can give me deeper insight.

Not everyone has a counselor who can stand in that gap. We have to, as Christians, be willing to walk alongside our brothers
and sisters. We have to give them hope when their faith is weak. We can point them to Christ for He is our strength & joy. We can be patient with others and give them grace as they walk through troubled times. Most importantly we can pray with and for each other.

Prayer – Lord, Thank you for the gift of hope and the privilege of walking alongside others during times of trouble. I pray for hope for every person that is walking through difficult times today. Give them the joy of hope to see that this too will pass. I pray for patience as they walk through these situations they would rather avoid. Lord, I stand in the gap knowing You will see them through. In Jesus name. Amen.