Today – Monday morning! Recession, no money, need a holiday, last weeks issues and problems resurfacing? A sneaky despair comes creeping into our hearts when we are not seeing progress as we would like to see it, or feel like we’ve missed God’s best for us or taken a wrong turn. Sometimes the pain of what others have done or said weighs heavy on our shoulders. Sadness catches us in its grip and it is hard to see beyond and into the spring of promise. In our souls, we lose the ability to believe that things will ever change.

A vague thought that things will eventually will work out and a “this too will pass” attitude isn’t what we need. No, we need more… we need something solid and strong to cling to, something that is true and will never fail.

The prophet Jeremiah understood all this:

“I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.”

But he didn’t stop there! He called to mind something that was deeper, more solid and sure than his despair… “ Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3 NLT

Hope is a solid place for us to stand in the midst of despair… God is faithful! God never fails to show loving kindness. God’s great love is the reason we can dare to hope! You may not feel it today but these words are true! Let them be as a grappling hook… a mountain climber’s security -when he throws the rope with the hook high up, to catch the solid rock and hold him securely while he climbs to the heights!

Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Saviour and my God! Psalm 42:5

God tells us in the book of Hosea that He, “Will transform the valley of trouble into a Gateway of Hope” Hosea 2:15

So today … throw your hook of hope into God’s promises of unfailing love and faithfulness – He will be your strong and steady Rock!