Maybe, today, you have given up hope or are on the brink of giving up hope. Maybe you have decided hope is for suckers and just don't care any more. You would not be the first person to feel this way. What follows is two true stories of people who gave up hope only to have an encounter with God which changed everything. One very old story and one in modern times.
1 Kings 17:9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.”
At the time of the above passage, there was a severe famine in Israel. Elijah the prophet was serving God faithfully, when he received the above command. The only problem with the plan was, no one told the widow. 1 Kings 17:10-12 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
And she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”
God told Elijah the plan, but the widow, apparently, had no idea. By the time Elijah showed up, the woman had come to the conclusion all hope was gone. The water dried up, no crops could grow and the widow was down to her last handful of flour and oil, enough to make a small biscuit, maybe.
The widow had given up hope, she saw no way out of her situation. Her husband was dead, the land was in drought and even if it started raining that very day, by the time new food grew, she and her son would have died of starvation long before any food came available
There was no way, humanly possible, for this lady to get out of this situation. Undoubtedly she exhausted every effort and thought through every scenario possible to save her son's life and concluded there was no hope.
Perhaps today, you are looking at a situation and see no possible way to avoid disaster. You have exhausted all resources, you have examined the problem from every possible angle and have concluded there is no possible way to undo the mess. Maybe you are right, maybe there is nothing humanly possible which can change your situation. I can tell you this: even though there is not a humanly possible way out for you, there is still hope.
You see, the widows story does not end with the prophet walking away and the widow going home to die. God has purpose for this lady and when God is involved, the impossible becomes possible. God has purpose for you, just like He had for this unnamed widow.
1 Kings 17:13-16 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’” And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.
Though the widow had no idea God had a plan for her, He certainly did. She could have told Elijah he was crazy, gone home and followed her original plan, yet she did not. Something caused the widow to trust God in her impossible situation and, supernaturally, God provided. Supernaturally, the situation changed.
Though you may feel completely abandoned and hopeless, the truth is, God has a way out for you. God has a purpose for you and He wants to transform you and your life. The key is trusting God can lead you in a way where there is no way. The widow saw no way out, had no way out, until she encountered God.
Life throws some pretty terrible things our way. Sometimes, the unthinkable happens, yet, in the midst of disaster, there is still hope as God is bigger than any situation in which we may find ourselves.
The second story of hope takes place in modern times. It is also a true story:
Susie Edwards found herself divorced with 2 small children, at the age of 23. (If you want to read Susie's full story, Click Here) Susie remarried and raised her children, however, by the time the children were grown, she found herself divorced and alone. This is when Susie began drinking.
Susie's drinking increased and eventually she moved to another town for a job, where she met Bob. Bod didn't drink much, but Bob introduced Susie to drugs and both developed an addiction which cost them everything they owned. Susie and Bob knew if they continued on the path they were on, it would lead to death or prison.
In an attempt to get clean, Susie and Bob left town to make a new start but due to bad behavior found themselves homeless. Through the obedience of a woman whom God directed to pick them up, Susie and Bob learned about a local ministry. Attending the local ministry, Susie and Bob were able to meet God in a real way and experience the transformation only He can bring.
What was available to Susie is available to all. No matter how dark or bleak your situation may seem, God can lead you to a better place. God wants to lead you to a better place.
God is the restorer of broken lives . There is nothing God will ask of you or require of you for which He has not equipped you. If you are broken, if your life seems shattered, if you see no way possible, God makes a way when there is no way.
Faith in Christ is the first step in restoring hope. The doorway to God is Jesus. The Father waits for you with open arms and desires a relationship with you. God brings hope to the hopeless by creating opportunities where none exist. Psalm 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! The man or woman who seeks refuge in God will not be forsaken.
Please do not miss out on what God has in store for you because everything seems hopeless. When life is hopeless you can still find hope in God.
Now, go live as Christ... and give the devil hell!
