By Joseph Perry

Does it ever seem as though you lose your faith as you hit some low moments in life?

A teenager was expressing himself to a group. He said, “I have felt times in life when I looked at the situation that my family was in and lost hope in it all. It looked so dreary; it really looked so bad that I felt it could not be fixed.” He said to them that he literally cried because he saw no way for his family to recover.

Regardless of how it looks, you have got to keep the faith. Never count God out of any situation, and don’t ever lose confidence in the One who has all power in His hands.
The apostle Paul prayed for hope. Why? because every one of us has had some type of trial and tribulation that has challenged our faith. Paul was no different than the teenager, or any of us.

The truth of the matter is we have at times lost our faith. Paul experienced blindness, distrust from close friends and misunderstandings with others. He went through beatings and being hungry. He found himself incarcerated, and those type of experiences can make a person feel fed up, beat up and want to give up. But I’m telling you to keep the faith, no matter what.

I’m sharing with you to still have hope regardless of how it looks. The Bible declares, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
Did you know that the Lord knows the plans He has for you, not to harm you, but to prosper you, plans to give you hope and a future? (Jeremiah 29:11)

Just keep praying to God, remember to keep pressing toward God, and continue to hold on to the promises of God. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. There is power in hope, even in the darkest hour and the driest season. Our God can at anytime change a messed up situation. I know He can, if we all just continue to keep the faith.

The Rev. Dr. Joseph A. Perry is pastor of St. Mark AME Zion Church. Contact him at josephp134@gmail.com.