There’s always hope!

There are times in our lives when we feel hopeless, when we can’t see a way out, a way forward, a way to resolve our circumstances and we lose hope.

It’s fair to say that there were many moments in the Lord of the Rings when at various times different characters struggled with the events that were so dark and dismal that their feelings of hopelessness were revealed.

When Helm’s Deep was under attack with only three hundred men inside trying to defend themselves against an army of over ten thousand orcs there was, understandably fear and despair amongst the men. And to make matters worse many of these men had not seen battle or never even used a sword before. Not good!

So, when Aragorn, a Ranger of the North, and the heir to the throne of Gondor, speaks to a young boy called Haleth, son of Hama before the battle, it is no wonder the boy raises some concerns. In fact, the boy tells Aragorn that the men are saying they won’t last the night and adds that there is no hope. Aragorn responds by saying:

“There’s always hope”

This is, indeed, an encouraging line from the future King of Gondor who at the time did not know how they could win the battle before them but chose to hold on to hope. And psychologists tell us that hope is good for our wellbeing, helping us to feel less helpless, making us feel happier, reducing our stress and basically improving the quality of our lives. Good stuff!

Hope in God, unlike worldly hope which often brings doubt, is real and means being confidently expectant of God’s promises. Hope from a biblical perspective is based on our faith in God and as you can imagine the bible has much to say about hope. In fact, I found it somewhat difficult to choose one scripture verse on hope because there are so many! Having said that I found Romans 5:3-5 encouraging for us during our trials because hope never disappoints:

‘We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.’

If you would like to learn more about Hope in God, then I highly recommend you read ‘Broken Dreams, and Hope!’ by Andy B.

 Jo