Having Hope Yet Feeling Hopeless

Tyler A. Robertson
Oct 9
5 min read

Updated: Oct 14

“I just feel so hopeless.”

Her words were not grossly uncommon on a secular university campus. It seems many students face a similar feeling of despair despite the glamour of a never-ending-party lifestyle. But as I’ve learned with every student I interact with, she too had a story.

From the second she approached my table, I could sense a spirit of desperation and anguish, just as Jesus described His people as “…sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). To be honest, I was almost tempted to agree with her in some respects: when the world around you is losing its mind a mile per minute and then publicizing it through the media, it's fair to say we all can get discouraged at the probability of moral extinction.

And there may be some that say “I never get discouraged over the darkness in the world!” Well then, I will just have to buy your book. For the rest of us, discouragement and even hopelessness can come when we focus on the ever-thickening evil that surrounds us.

But the question is, should the child of God ever be hopeless?

This girl, very sweet in her demeanor and evidently bright, was not just feeling lonely; her faith shaking within her. She, like many of you reading this article, is a born again believer; yet her peril has brought her so low that she has begun to question Christ's power over suffering. Mind you, this was a girl from Nigeria. She has many family members that know something of suffering for their belief system far beyond a digital assault on Twitter. Especially in recent days. A report by Newsweek states that around 7,000 Christians have been brutally slaughtered in Nigeria by the Fulani terrorists and extremists groups (1).

As she began to share her heart with me, tears ran down her face. There was evidence of tender wounds from her own sinful choices, but I did not interrogate right away. I believe one of the greatest ways you can win the heart is by listening to the words that flow out of it. Such was the case with this young lady.

“I read my Bible and pray every day, but I still feel hopeless.”

Huh. So where do I go from here? As an evangelist who talks to “Christians” on campus, it is somewhat of a routine reaction to point them to prayer and God’s Word as many who profess Christ have an anemic relationship with both prayer and Bible reading. But this case was different. Here is a girl who has a healthy relationship with the Bible and talks to Jesus regularly and yet feels hopeless. Of course, I fumbled around in my answer initially, but then I was able to give her several passages of Scripture that reveal the hope we have in Jesus. She seemed to be given a ray of sunshine, a glimpse of Jesus once again. We prayed together through tears, reminded ourselves of our “so great a salvation” and off she went to walk with Jesus a little further.

Later that night when I came home, I thought a lot about that encounter. Many Christians are sliding down the slippery slope of doubt and feel as though the little song “read your Bible, pray every day” is not sufficient for their anxiety. Here are few things I’ve realized in my own life that may help you feel hopeful in a hopeless world.

Reading doesn’t mean believing.

Reading the Bible will clean up your life. It sinks down into the bones of the soul and is health to your spiritual maturity. I am not one who says that all physical ailments and mental disorders can be eradicated by your devotional time, but I do know that regardless of your physical condition, the Words of God will breathe life into your spirit – if you let it.

There is an instantaneous nourishment that takes place when you read God’s Word, but its full transformation in your life depends on your decision to receive it. You can read the same passages over and over again without a drop of relief to your pain. The transformation – from hopelessness to hopeful – comes when you start believing what Jesus says:

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Diligently seek Jesus, not an explanation to your problem. Then, trust what He tells you.

Emotions don’t always align with truth.

One of my mentors has repeated this phrase often, “Even your emotions need to be sanctified.” Feelings can lead you into a destructive perception of hopelessness when hope is all around you.

If I were to run up to you and with eagerness state that your spouse has just died in a car accident, you would begin to feel the weight of gut-wrenching horror. Your mind would spin into oblivion as you process the inflicted wound on your soul. But what if I quickly amended and said, “Oh wait. The officer on the scene just texted me that your spouse is alive! It was the person in the other vehicle that was killed.” Some cruel joke, huh? But imagine that. Your feelings followed something that was not objectively true.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Your heart has the capacity to tell you things that are not true; therefore they are not a valid source upon which to build your decisions. Ask God to sanctify your emotions that they will align with the truth of God’s promises.

The Devil doesn’t always play fair.

The young lady that I spoke with alluded to some form of hurt or abuse in her past. It’s shocking how many believers that I encounter who struggle with doubting God and also have similar stories. Now this may not be the case with you, but it may be something else that haunts your mind. Regardless, the devil is not looking at the playbook when he launches his attacks on the weak in heart. Just this past week, the Lord began opening many Christians eyes to the trans ideology and woke agenda that permeates platforms like Netflix (Here is a video). This is an assault on our children and a reminder of the devil’s most favored target: the weak.

Understand the devil will push any button that he has to wreck your belief in God and His Word. You must “put on the whole armour” of God’s defense and take up the sword of the Spirit in order to defeat the evil one. And I get it. You know the Word of God is the answer, but you are tired of swinging the sword. Usher in the hopeful words of Jesus:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).