Broken but Priceless Ministries
Follow Us:
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Broken but Priceless Ministries
    • Erin Elizabeth Austin
    • Josie Siler
    • Kathy Sebright
  • BLOG
    • Blog
    • Answers for Everyday Life
  • Magazine
    • The Magazine
    • Resources
  • Prayer
    • Request Prayer
    • Become a Prayer Partner
  • Events
  • Contact Us
    • Contact Erin!
    • Public Speaking

The Day of No Hope

3/29/2013

2 Comments

 
By Erin Elizabeth Austin

Discouragement. Despair. Depression. What do these three words have in common? In a word: hopelessness. That’s a word which packs a punch. Just hearing the word paints a mental picture that leaves a person feeling sad and alone. Personally, I believe hopelessness is why antidepressants were created. No one likes to feel like there is no hope because it means there is no possibility of improvement or resolution to a problem. I've experienced times in my life when I thought all hope was lost, and those days truly were the darkest days of my life.

It’s easy to grow discouraged and believe there is no hope when it comes to suffering and living with a chronic illness. We know what tomorrow holds for us physically. It’s a reasonable assumption to think the day will be filled with sickness, pain, and fatigue because that is the life of a person living with an illness. Yet as depressing as that thought can be, it still doesn’t begin to compare to a day we read about in Scripture – the Day of No Hope.
The Day of No Hope??? Where is that in the Bible? I promise, it is there. It’s a part of the Easter story we usually pass by without mentioning. So have you figured out what part of the Easter story is the Day of No Hope? I’ll give you a hint: It’s not Good Friday or Easter Sunday. That’s right; I’m talking about the day after Jesus died on the cross but the day before God raised Him from the dead.

Stop and think about it for a moment. To all of Christ’s followers, they couldn't imagine Him dying. He was their Messiah, their King, the Savior of the Jewish nation. He was their hope. And He DIED! All of their dreams, their plans, their hopes for a better tomorrow were based solely on Christ’s life. He wasn't supposed to die, but He did. Can you imagine what they went through on Saturday, the day after Jesus was killed on a cross and then buried in a tomb? All of their hopes died and were buried with Him, and nothing could change that.  

Although I can’t begin to imagine what Christ’s followers went through that day, I do know what it’s like to experience the death of a dream. In fact, most of us can say that. From the moment the doctor told us we were sick, life changed. With that diagnosis, our lives took a major detour and all the plans and dreams we had for our lives changed. Some had to leave a thriving career to sit at home and collect disability. Some had to give up the dream of having children of their own. Some, like me, had to completely change the plan for their entire lives. 


Dreams can die, and when that happens, hopelessness is quick to follow. But like Jesus, the death isn't permanent. Hope can be reborn. Dreams can change and be renewed. Victory can come out of death.
 
I love reading the account of when the women went to Jesus’ grave on Sunday. They weren’t expecting Jesus to be alive. He was supposed to be dead; they had spent the entire day before mourning their loss, which is the reason why they were so ecstatic to learn He had come back to life. It was because of the Day of No Hope they understood just how miraculous Jesus’ resurrection was. Without a hopeless situation stemming from the death of a dream, there would have been no impossibility which later became a miracle.

As you celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ this Easter weekend, don’t forget the Day of No Hope. Whatever you’re going through during this season in your life, remember there is always hope. The hands which gently hold and comfort you when you’re hurting, broken, and bruised are the same ones that were nailed to an old rugged cross so that you could experience freedom and victory from sin and death.

So be encouraged, my friend. Your story isn’t over. The all-powerful God is working in your life, even if it doesn’t seem like it right now. He will take your Day of No Hope and turn it into an amazing testimony of His resurrection power.

 “Then the saying will come true: ‘Death is swallowed by triumphant Life! Who got the last word, oh, Death? Oh, Death, who’s afraid of you now?’ It was sin that made death so frightening and guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three—sin, guilt, death—are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God!” ~ 1 Corinthians 15:54-57

© March 28, 2013
2 Comments
Ginger Harrington link
3/30/2013 03:09:40 am

Great post!

Reply
Erin Elizabeth Austin link
4/8/2013 05:34:37 am

Thanks Ginger!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Email Subscription

    Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.


    Picture
    Erin Elizabeth Austin

    Author

    Erin Elizabeth Austin is a writer and speaker with a passion to help people find healing in the midst of their brokenness.

    If you want to contact Erin directly please click here.


    Picture
    Josie Siler

    Contributor

    Josie Siler, like millions of others, is living with chronic illness. She is eager to share the hope and joy that she has found in Christ, whether that is in a church, at a women’s retreat, over a cup of hot cocoa, or through a blog post.
    Click here to email Josie.


    Archives

    April 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011

    Categories

    All
    A New Perspective
    Angry At God
    Believing God
    Discovering Joy
    Embracing Who God Created You To Be
    Fighting Feelings Of Low Self Worth
    Fighting Feelings Of Low Self-Worth
    Learning To Thrive
    Names Of God
    Overcoming Bitterness
    Questioning God's Goodness
    Questioning God's Love
    Rising Above The Pain
    The Armor Of God
    The Names Of God
    When Hope Is Lost


    RSS Feed

Website by Business Notes LLC --- Photo Credits: Josie Siler
✕