“Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.”  —1 Chronicles 29:15

I know you’ve probably had many moments staring out the window, wondering where your hope has gone. Where did your zest for life go? You begin to wonder when you lost it.

The sorrowing truth is this: you have become jaded in a world that makes it too easy to become hopeless. People hurt you, bad things happen and you’ve been in the cycle of trying to fight for your hope, but still losing it in the end.

But don’t ever believe you’re alone in this struggle. Here are a few gentle words to soothe your soul, and to help regain the hope that has been lost in your life.

1. Take Time To Recharge

Try to wade out all of life’s demands: family, technology, travels and work. Take time for yourself to simply breathe and reflect. Somewhere along the way, your soul has become numb to the world, so you’ve been living just by going through the motions of life.

But you desire to feel hope again. So take time to reflect on what has made you jaded. Was it a specific moment, a season or just your own emotions? Try to take yourself back to those moments, and pray for God to calm the storm inside you.

“But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.”  —Psalm 71:14

2. Confide In Others

Acknowledge your feelings for yourself and before others. Talk to your partner or family member about your inner struggle of feeling hopeless, and seek prayer from others.

Our God is a God of restoration, fully and completely. It’s incredible how your emotions can affect your day-to-day living. You’ve missed opportunities. You haven’t fully relished the moments. Begin to comprehend that the inner storm within you is mightier than you think, and it matters a great deal to God; it’s not just a passing thought to Him. God desires that you be fully hopeful, mentally pressing into His divine nature to receive all the beauty, the joy, the peace and the goodness that only He has for you.

“Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.” —Zechariah 9:12

3. Renew Your Faith

So, where does this all begin? It begins with faith. Have the unshaken and unwavering faith that God can simply restore your hope. Have faith that He will give you even more than you ask. Have faith that He will not give you a fleeting emotion, but a constant hope. It is a hope that rests in His hands, and therefore, a hope that can’t be stolen. Don’t forget that our God is crazy for you, He delights in you and He will give you a glowing, beaming hope if you just simply seek Him with all that is in you.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”  —Hebrews 11:1

4. Ease Your Worries

Lastly, is there something that is stealing your hope that only rests in the future? Perhaps it’s something as simple as getting old and not fulfilling all God had for you that’s making you unable to live life to the fullest now.

Take time to reflect on the things racing in your mind; Satan smiles in the faces that feed into these lies. That’s exactly where the enemy wants you – so wrapped up in the glorification of the self that you’ve lost the thrill of simply giving glory to God alone with your life. Let go of those worries and focus on finding joy in God.

“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.”  —Psalm 39:7

Restore your mind, beloved. Restore your thought patterns to godly patterns by reading His Word. You were not created to live and die. You were created to live, truly live, and to share that same life you found in the Father to others. Exterior beauty and joy only lasts for so long. Find the interior beauty, hope and joy that lasts eternally in Him.

You may also be interested in The Simple Prayer Habit That Could Radically Transform Your Life