Discover the power of hope to get you through difficult times, and learn how to turn any sorrowful journey into a “roar story.” This six-day plan is based on Levi Lusko’s Bible Study: Through the Eyes of a Lion.
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Day 1
Scriptures: John 1:1, John 1:14
Turn Off the Dark
One thing all people have in common is a desire to be happy.
God wired human beings with a desire for joy and fulfillment. Have you ever met someone who hasn’t pursued happiness? Me neither. But it doesn’t take long to realize this world is filled with pitfalls that derail happiness. Evidence of darkness is everywhere we look, and we even see it in our own lives. Maybe you struggle with loneliness, fear, despair, or guilt. Deep down we know things aren’t the way they are supposed to be, but we don’t know how to fix it. Thankfully, In His mercy, God sent light into the darkness.
The opening verses in John’s Gospel are known as the prologue and this passage is one of the most informative accounts of Jesus’s coming. Right away, the apostle John reveals that Jesus is more than a teacher or a prophet—Jesus is God (John 1:1; 14) and the source of all light.
Jesus doesn’t just shine light. He also turns off the darkness. In Scripture, the words “light” and “life” are often referred to as the opposite of “death” and “darkness.” Metaphorically, death and darkness refer to sin and its effects on the world. Jesus came to shine light in the darkness—and to turn off the dark. Since Jesus is all-powerful, He could’ve done this in any manner of His choosing. Certainly, Jesus could’ve shined His light from a distance, and it would’ve been powerful enough to reach us, but that’s not what He did.
Jesus entered into this dark world because He wanted to be with us. He isn’t a distant God who is aloof—Jesus willingly took on flesh. In doing so, Jesus entered into our pain and suffering with the intention of being present with us and shining a light in the dark cracks and crevices of our lives.
In what areas do you need Jesus to “Turn Off the Dark?”
Day 2
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:18
The Invisible World
At any given moment, there’s always more going on than what we can see with the naked eye. If you’ve ever spent any time stargazing, you know this is true. On a cloudless, dark night, when you are far from civilization, it’s possible to see as many as five thousand stars. But on a cloudy night you might not see hardly any. That doesn’t mean they aren’t there—there are always stars in the sky—you just can’t always see them. So it is spiritually. You must not rely on the naked eye. Faith is the telescope that allows us to see the spiritual realities at play all around us.
The apostle Paul taught about this in one of his letters:
We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Every moment of every day, you are in an invisible battle that rages on—as real as the ancient ones you read about in history class and as current as the clips shown on the evening news. This is the war: every moment of every day, we must make the all-important choice of whether we will rely on the naked eye.
Will you trust what we can see is there or believe what God says is there?
Day 3
Scripture: Hebrews 6:19
Hurting with Hope
All of us experience times of grief and suffering.
Believing in Jesus doesn’t exempt us from emotional hardship, and being a Christian doesn’t mean we won’t shed tears during our time on earth. However, it does mean that when we do hurt, we do so with the knowledge that our best days are ahead of us and a time is coming when all sadness will come to an end.
Hope is a word that gets thrown around a lot in our vocabulary. It’s not uncommon to hear someone say, “I hope things work out.” Or, “I hope it doesn’t rain on Saturday.” In this context, hope is passive and carries no more punch than wishful thinking. But biblical hope is different than secular hope. Biblical hope means we can have confidence in the future based on God’s promises found in the Scriptures. Biblical hope carries a connotation of confident expectation based on the fact that the God of the Bible is faithful to keep His Word. The writer of Hebrews said:
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil (Hebrews 6:19).
Each morning, we decide to focus on our circumstances or fix our gaze on Jesus and the promises God has revealed to us in the Scriptures. Of course, from time to time we all get down, and it’s easy to shift our gaze and lose hope. But when we do, we can quickly realign our thoughts and shift our focus back to the truth that Jesus is for us and with us in our troubles.
Where are some places in which you are tempted to place your hope? What changes do you need to make to anchor your hope in Jesus?
Day 4
Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 5:8, John 14:6, Acts 4:12
The Hope of Heaven
As agonizing and painful as it can be, death is the ultimate upgrade for the believer: moving from the tent into the home Jesus has been preparing for you. When your earthly tent finally breaks down, you will open your eyes in the glory and majesty of heaven. Death is not the end of the road; it’s just a bend in the road. Believers take their last breath here on earth and the next breath in the presence of God in heaven. In the weeks and months following Lenya’s death, I reminded myself of these truths. When I looked at the situation through the telescope of faith, my spine filled with steel, and fear was replaced with faith. The apostle Paul wrote:
Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8, NLT).
Heaven is a real place that Christ-followers can look forward to with hope-filled expectation. But the reality is, only those who have trusted Christ as their Savior will go there (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). This is what God wants for you: Forgiveness. A relationship with you. Heaven. Jesus left heaven and came to earth so we could go to heaven when we leave earth. The Bible promises that if you believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, and confess with your mouth that He rose from the dead, you will be saved.
What are your thoughts about heaven?
Day 5
Scripture: Hebrews 10:23-25
Cue the Eagle
In America, we live in a fast-paced culture and don’t like to wait.
We’re accustomed to overnight shipping, high-speed internet, fast food, and instant access. When things don’t go as quickly as planned, we suspect something has gone wrong. If a company can’t meet our demand for speed, we take our business elsewhere. But the reality is, the Bible records a long history of God’s people waiting on God to act. We will experience times of waiting too. There will also be times when things aren’t going as quickly as we’d prefer. The writer of Hebrews wrote:
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:23-25).
In seasons of waiting, we can rest assured God is faithful to keep His promises. But to make the time easier to bear, the Scriptures encourage us to gather together with God’s people. God never intended for us to struggle alone. During seasons of struggle, the Church is one of the primary ways God shows His grace to us. As we follow Jesus, we do it together.
On a scale of 1-10, how active are you in biblical community? If you aren’t an active member of a local church, what steps can you take to get plugged in?
Day 6
Scriptures: Romans 8:28, Matthew 5:16
Pain is a Microphone
God doesn’t cause bad things to happen, but He is sovereign and nothing happens outside His permission. The devil is the one ultimately responsible for evil. Sometimes it seems that life is out of control, and more is given to us than we can bear. But everything is under God’s control, and He leads us to breakthrough when we worship Him, no matter what we’re going through. His endgame is to sabotage all your suffering and use what was meant for evil to accomplish His purposes. The apostle Paul said:
And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (Romans 8:28).
God’s people need to be open to seeing how God redeems our heartaches. Enormous good can come to you when you let God use your heartache. It doesn’t make the pain stop, but it does help heal your heart. It’s not always easy to minister to someone who is hurting; sometimes we might just as soon not go there because it brings up painful emotions and memories. But if we push through and let God use our pain, we will always be glad we did—not only just for the help it brings to others, but also for the peace it brings to our own heart.
God wants you to shine brightly. Jesus said, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matt. 5:16, NLT). God wants to use your hardships to touch other peoples’ lives. Your pain shouldn’t be wasted. But to live a life that brings glory to God, we are going to have to walk by faith and not by sight.
How might you use your hardships to help other people?