Identifying the Causes of Hopelessness - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - August 10, 2020

2020 Aug 10

Identifying the Causes of Hopelessness
By Rick Warren

“When my life was slipping away, I remembered you—and in your holy temple you heard my prayer” (Jonah 2:7 CEV).

When you’re experiencing hopelessness, one of the most important steps you can take is to identify the cause.

In other words, instead of wrestling with a vague sense of hopelessness, try to figure out where it’s coming from—because your problem isn’t hopelessness. The real problem is what’s causing your hopelessness.

In Jonah 2:3-6, we discover eight common causes of hopelessness. Take a look and see if any of these root issues feel familiar.

You feel like you’re in over your head. “You threw me into the ocean depths” (Jonah 2:3 NLT).
You’ve hit the bottom. “I sank down to the heart of the sea” (Jonah 2:3 NLT).
You feel out of control and powerless. “I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves” (Jonah 2:3 NLT).
You feel overwhelmed. “The mighty waters engulfed me” (Jonah 2:3 NLT).
You feel rejected. “O Lord, you have driven me from your presence” (Jonah 2:4 NLT).
You feel remorse and regret. “I thought I had been banished from your presence and would never see your holy Temple again” (Jonah 2:4 GNT).
You feel crushing fear. “I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head” (Jonah 2:5 NLT).
You feel trapped. “I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death!” (Jonah 2:6 NLT).

When Jonah started talking to God about his hopelessness, God began to heal him. “When my life was slipping away, I remembered you—and in your holy temple you heard my prayer” (Jonah 2:7 CEV).

Talk to God about your sense of hopelessness. He is the God of hope, and through Jesus, he offers the only real and lasting hope you can find.

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Build a Firm Foundation of Prayer in the Next Generation!

“Perhaps the most important role you can play in the life of a child is teaching them to trust God through prayer. It’s the key to living with hope.” —Pastor Rick

That’s why it’s so important to strengthen the hope of kids by introducing them to Jesus’ model for prayer at an early age. And we’re excited to help you do that with Pastor Rick’s children’s book, The Lord’s Prayer: Words of Hope and Happiness.

Filled with thoughtful insights from Pastor Rick as well as stunning illustrations from award-winning artist, Richard Jesse Watson, this book brings the poetic scripture from the King James Version alive for readers young and old. It’s sure to become a meaningful bedtime ritual, a treasured memory, and by God’s grace, a legacy that bears good fruit for generations to come.

This book is a perfect way to share the beauty and richness of The Lord’s Prayer with the children the Lord has placed in your life. And it’s our thanks for your gift below to help Daily Hope take the Good News to more people everywhere. So please request a copy for yourself or a friend today, and thanks for your generosity!

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