Subscribe To This Site
Hope and Faith
Despair, Hope and Faith One of the worst feelings in the world is despair: the feeling that one has been totally abandoned, that nothing you do will matter; that there is no more light—only darkness. Despair corrodes the human soul. About Hope The opposite of despair is hope—the belief that even though things look bad, perhaps even impossible, that there is something good beyond the darkness. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see,” said St. Paul (Hebrews 11:1). How difficult is it to have hope when all seems lost, though? Sure, it is easy to have hope when things are humming right along. When things fall apart, so does our ability to have hope. This is where prayer and faith can help boost your hope. Hope is one of our spiritual needs. Hope and Faith Prayer Have you ever known anyone who seems to be hopeful no matter what is going on in their lives? They feel sorrow; they moarn; they even cry. Yet, under it all, they go on with a strong sense of hope for the future. People with hope, also have a strong sense of faith in something bigger than themselves. Prayer helps to maintain a relationship with the divine. Prayer reminds us that we are not alone. Certainly, we have many examples of those who have had faith in prayer even in the bleakest times. Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane faced the certainty of betrayal, agony, and death, chose to pray,
Hope and Faith Prayer Choosing to pray means choosing to have hope. When we pray, we acknowledge two things. First, we remember that we are part of the created world. Second, we affirm that there is a Creator God, who made us and loves us in all of our brokenness. Even if we can see no way that good can come out of a situation, by praying we show that we have hope that God can do far more than we could ever imagine. By giving the heavy load of our burden over to God in prayer, we act in a way that opens the possibilities of hope in our lives. We become hope-full—and when we are hopeful we can then go on to act in a way that increases hope in the the lives of others around us. Hope and Faith Prayer When Prayer Doesn't Come Easy It may be hard to pray in hope, especially when the evidence of what we see makes it easier to despair. In those times it might help to connect to ways of prayer that have helped others through the centuries. Reading prayerfully through the psalms, sacred and/or inspirational texts, listening to inspirational music, or praying the rosary may help us when it is hard to find words of our own. Hope and Faith-How to Pray when Prayer doesn't come easy.
Once you choose hope, anything's possible.
|
