Hope Again
And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 5:3- 5 (NKJV)
In my many years of practice, the one question that I found to be truly crucial in determining what direction and emotional turn a depressed man, woman or child would take is nothing but this one; Do you feel hopeful about the present or the future? Or worded differently: Do you have hope regarding the present, or hope for the future?
I don’t know about you, but there is enough dark clouds I’ve seen and experienced in this world that came in different doses, times, and abruptness. Dark clouds that prevent the light from heaven; hope from above from breaking through and shinning unto my heart and yours. We all need that light; a ray of hope, that no money, success, position or possessions can ever give us.
But then in our present complex world, new philosophies, human logic and scientific sophistication have replaced the simplicity of a child -like faith and the innocence found in down to earth humility.
We’ve exchanged hope in God with hope in things, careers, jobs, money, institutions, governments, and fellow humans who might also be clinging by thin threads to all of the above.
Then life happens, and all the things and relationships that promised to give us hope fail to do so.
Truly, we’re in a world where crises of hopelessness are just around the corners of our lives or might have already engulfed us. The thin threads that we’re hanging on for our daily supply of hope are not reliable as we all find out sooner or later.
You and I, will find out, just like a Mount Everest climber whose hope is solely based on a dangling rope thousands of feet above sea level , that the rope we’re holding tightly to is not anchored to a Solid Rock.
A crumbling Lime Rock that’s destined to break apart is what many of us are anchored to in the mountainous journeys of our lives. And again, I remind myself: Hope in things, careers, jobs, money, institutions, governments, and in fellow humans who themselves might be clinging by thin threads to all of the above will sooner or later crumble and break down much like that Lime rock.
Here are some words of Wisdom and Hope from God to you and I in the midst of our challenging mountain- climbing life experiences: 
the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
Psalm 147:11
I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121
Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.
Psalm 146: 1-5
But even in our hopeless and dark moments all is not lost. For it’s only when we fall that you and I learn where to anchor our hope in. Only in the darkness of a heavy cloud engulfing us that we begin to move away from our dark, desolate, hopeless, and helpless emotions into the ray of light: God’s light of hope.
“…Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 5:3- 5
Friend, like the shattered homes, and the devastation of the daily lives of 
millions of persecuted Christians, and displaced non Christians, in Mosul; Iraq, Syria, Sudan and throughout the Middle East and the whole world, our hope in crumbling lime rocks; things, people and relationships will shatter and fail us. But Hope in God, The Solid Rock, will lighten up our present darkness and lift us up from our hopelessness.
God is The Source of Hope that will heal our hurts, restore us, and bring the light of hope to hearts held captives in dark prisons of helplessness, hopelessness and despair.
Yes friend, even as all material things and relationships are lost, threatened, stolen, and are no longer there, it will be alright. For even amidst our desolation and misery we’ll be fine if we put our hope in God.
We’ll stand again,
walk again,
fly again,
laugh and dance again.
We’ll reach the mountain top unto the source of our hope; God our anchor and Solid Rock.
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint
Isaiah 40:31
Adel Gobran Hanna, M.D.
Author: Soldier to Soldier, Heart to Heart
A Doctor’s Stories from a Military Camp
Buy: Soldier to Soldier, Heart to Heart
Now
at
The Second Edition of
Soldier To Soldier, Heart to Heart
at