Have You Lost Your Hope?
The difficulties that we endure in this life are sometimes so painful that we feel stuck in unending sorrow. Many of us have been through tragedies that have left us with a crushing despair, which years later turns into a continuous dull ache that never leaves. We become despondent and therefore reluctant to believe that God could heal us.
These deep emotions are not foreign to the Bible. For instance, the Israelites were so utterly overwhelmed by the oppression of the Egyptians that when Moses finally came to tell them of God’s promise to deliver them, they couldn’t even listen:
Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. (Exodus 6:9)
Of course, we all know the story. God did deliver them from Egypt as He promised. And He promises to deliver us, too. Indeed, in the world to come, God will wipe away every tear from our eyes and there will be no more pain (Revelation 21:4). And even in this life, believers have been completely healed and set free from affliction. So God can and still does deliver us. While our current circumstances and feelings might make it difficult to trust in God’s power or willingness to set us free, we are to walk by faith. But that is easier said than done, isn’t it?
Even as we have this great promise of deliverance, like the Israelites in Egypt, sometimes it’s still too difficult for us to have hope. And thus, there is no relief from our pain. So what are we to do?
Unlike what you might hear in some religious circles—usually those that tend to emphasize “health, wealth, and prosperity”—the first step to true emotional healing is to understand that it’s okay to feel sad. It’s okay that the pain might still linger in your heart from time to time. Moreover, it’s okay to be honest with God about these feelings and to even express your pain and doubts to Him. Consider the bitter lament of the prophet Jeremiah:
Why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame? (Jeremiah 20:18)
Israel has a rich tradition of lament. All throughout the Bible are examples of people crying out to God, weeping and passionately airing their complaints. An entire book of the Bible, Lamentations, is a five-chapter lament over the destruction of Jerusalem. To shun the bitter expression of grief and sorrow is neither human nor biblical.
The second step is to understand that God has a special place in His heart for hurting people. We can take comfort in the fact that He is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). Even in the depths of our despair, we can experience His divine presence in a profound way. Christian Holocaust survivor, Corrie Ten Boom, once said, “There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.” When Yeshua saw His friends mourning the death of Lazarus, He was moved to tears (John 11:33-36). Even in our lowest state, God is near to us, weeping when we weep, and walking with us through all the pain.
The third step is to wait:
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. (Psalm 40:1-3)
We don’t know how long the psalmist had to wait before God drew him from the pit of destruction and put a new song of praise in his mouth, but it most likely took much longer than he would have liked. The saying, “Time heals all wounds,” has a lot of merit. Some wounds just take time to heal. Many believers have waited for years until the Lord finally gave them a spiritual breakthrough. But while they waited, they faithfully served God and others, which leads to the fourth step: Serve others.
If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. (Isaiah 58:10)
As we focus on ministering to other people, God somehow uses it to minister to us. And indeed, if we had not gone through some of the things we’ve gone through, we would not be able to bring hope and healing to those who have similar painful experiences. There is a redemptive side to the pain we endure when we allow God to use us to help others.
Through these steps we can get a taste of the complete healing we will receive when Messiah returns and ushers in His Kingdom in which pain is no more. And perhaps our hope in God’s great deliverance will be restored as we embrace His divine presence in our sorrow and see His hand move in our ministry to other hurting people.
In 2 Peter 3:15–17, Peter warns his readers against those who twist Paul’s letters, and he associates their misinterpretations with “the error of lawless people.” In this article, I examine both the immediate and broader context of this passage as well as the specific language Peter uses to characterize those who twist Paul’s letters. I argue that 2 Peter 3:15–17 constitutes a warning against antinomians who misinterpret Paul’s letters to justify and encourage transgression of the Law of Moses.
Origen’s Commentary on Romans offers a fascinating perspective on the Apostolic Decree in Acts 15. Rather than seeing the Council as setting aside the Torah for Gentile believers, Origen argues that the apostles looked to the Torah itself to determine what God required of Gentiles. This article explores his reasoning concerning blood, strangled meat, and circumcision, and what it might contribute to the larger question of Gentile Torah observance.
Can Gentile Torah observance be a bridge rather than a barrier between Jewish people and Yeshua? In this article, I consider concerns about supersessionism and Gentile Torah observance while arguing that, properly understood and practiced, it can affirm the continuing significance of Israel and offer a foretaste of the prophetic vision of the nations embracing Israel’s God and his ways.
Mary’s perpetual virginity was taught very early and remained the mainstream Christian position for well over a thousand years. Yet most Protestants today reject it because they believe Scripture clearly shows that Mary did not remain a virgin after giving birth to Jesus. I think this history offers an instructive parallel to the question of Sabbath observance. How much weight should longstanding Christian tradition carry when it seems to conflict with a straightforward reading of Scripture?
Did the apostle Paul reject the Torah (the Law of Moses) as an authoritative standard of conduct for followers of the Messiah? While many interpreters believe that he did, several passages in Romans point in a different direction. This article offers a pronomian reading of some of Paul’s statements about the Torah in Romans. In contrast to the antinomian view, a pronomian view holds that the Torah continues to function as divine instruction for believers.
I am a follower of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah, and I believe the Torah (the Law of Moses) remains relevant for God’s people today and should still be obeyed. So does that make me part of the Hebrew Roots Movement? There are two reasons why it does not.
The Bible mentions several books that have been lost to history. One of these is the Book of Jasher, meaning “one who is upright.” Over the centuries, this book has sparked much curiosity. Some today even argue that it has been rediscovered and ought to be included in the Bible. This article explores what we know about the Book of Jasher and evaluates claims that it has been rediscovered.
Did Paul reject the ongoing relevance of the Sabbath and festivals prescribed in the Torah? Many cite Colossians 2:16–17 as proof that he did. However, a growing body of scholarship calls that interpretation into question. Scholars point out that the illegitimate judgment directed toward Colossian believers came from ascetics who did not observe the biblical calendar. Drawing on this scholarship, I argue that Colossians 2:16–17 does not invalidate the Sabbath and festivals but instead affirms their value.
Have you ever asked God, “What is your will for my life?” If you have, you might be encouraged to know that Scripture already offers a direct (though often overlooked) answer to that question.
The Epistle to the Hebrews offers biblical evidence that the Holy Spirit is both fully divine and a distinct person. Within the epistle, the author identifies the Spirit as “eternal,” presents the Spirit as speaking God’s words as recorded in Old Testament quotations, and yet also distinguishes the Spirit as a separate agent from the Father and the Son. This article examines several references to the Spirit in Hebrews and shows how the author’s depiction is consistent with the Trinitarian understanding of the Holy Spirit as fully God and personally distinct from both the Father and the Son.
This study demonstrates that Luke presents the earliest followers of Jesus as steadfast Sabbath observers, challenging the common assumption that they abandoned or disregarded this practice. By closely examining the references to the Sabbath in Luke’s Gospel and Acts, it is observed that Luke consistently depicts Sabbath worship as a standard practice among Jewish and Gentile believers. This portrayal suggests that the earliest followers of Jesus did not believe the Sabbath had been abrogated but saw it as integral to their faith and community life. These findings invite modern Christians to reconsider the relevance of Sabbath observance in their own spiritual lives. By highlighting the continuity between Judaism and the emerging Christian movement, this study contributes to scholarship on early Christian identity and practice, portraying the earliest followers of Jesus as a movement within Judaism.
Is marital intimacy on the Sabbath a violation of the commandment to keep the seventh day holy? That depends on who you ask.
The expression “law of Christ” appears only two times in the New Testament. In Galatians 6:2, Paul urges his readers to fulfill “the law of Christ” (τὸν νόμον τοῦ Χριστοῦ). Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 9:21, Paul states that he is “under/in the law of Christ” (ἔννομος Χριστοῦ). Traditionally, interpreters have frequently understood this expression to refer to a new “law” or ethic that supersedes the law of Moses. However, as Todd Wilson notes, there is a “growing scholarly consensus” that “law of Christ” directly refers to the law of Moses in some sense. This article makes a case for interpreting the phrase “law of Christ” in Galatians 6:2 and 1 Corinthians 9:21 as a reference to the law of Moses as it is taught and exemplified by Christ.
Is the Messiah God? The first chapter of Hebrews presents compelling evidence that he is. In this chapter, the author highlights the Son’s role as the creator and sustainer of the universe, emphasizes the Son’s divine essence, proclaims that the Son is worthy of the worship that belongs only to God, and explicitly identifies the Son as “God” and “Lord/YHWH.” In order to demonstrate each of these points, this article conducts a detailed exegesis of Hebrews 1 and answers objections from unitarians.
Jubilees is a fascinating book that provides a window into the world of Second Temple Judaism. However, instead of appreciating it for what it is, a few teachers on the Internet exaggerate its significance and consider it to be inspired Scripture. This article provides an overview of the Book of Jubilees and explains why it is not Scripture.
Does the Bible teach that Yeshua the Messiah is divine? Philippians 2:5-11 is a central text that speaks to this question. In this passage, Paul teaches that the Messiah existed as a divine figure prior to his human conception, bears the name YHWH, and is rightfully given the reverence and allegiance that belongs to YHWH alone.
In Ephesians 2:15, Paul wrote that Christ broke down the wall of division between Jew and Gentile “by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances.” But what does Paul mean by this phrase? Is Paul saying that Christ abolished the Law of Moses, or something else?
In recent days, progressive Christians have claimed that Leviticus 18:22 does not mean what it plainly says. I want to address their objections in this article.
Did Jesus reject the Torah’s dietary laws? Many say that he did, citing Mark 7:1-23 as proof. In this article, I will explain the problems with the traditional interpretation of this passage and offer an alternative view that presents a more consistent and accurate portrayal of Jesus’s teaching.
Solberg complains about Pronomian theology causing "division" in the body. However, mischaracterizations like this are what actually undermine the unity that should be shared among thoughtful Christians on all sides of this debate.
Does Peter call Jesus “God” in 2 Peter 1:1? When we examine this verse from a grammatical standpoint, it is evident that he does.
Is the Torah (Law of Moses) relevant to Christians today? Many modern Christians say no. Jesus says yes.
I’ve been reading some scientific studies on the psychosocial impact of polygamy (in particular, the form of polygamy known as polygyny, that is, a husband having two or more wives). Modern-day advocates for polygamy argue that this practice benefits families and society, but the scientific data tells a different story. The harmful effects of polygamy on the well-being of men, women, and children are striking.
One fundamental theological principle revealed in the Genesis creation accounts is that marriage, as God intended it, is to be monogamous. The rest of the Bible, especially the New Testament, upholds this marital form as the ideal standard.
How do we make sense of the Torah’s polygamy regulations in light of the Bible’s overall condemnation of this practice?
“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22). If you just read that verse out loud, then you might hear a faint, high-pitched noise. That sound is every feminist worldwide shrieking about how Christianity oppresses women. But is this instruction in Ephesians really oppressive toward women?
Did Jesus exist before he was conceived in Mary’s womb? This article looks at a passage from Jude that may shed some light on that question.
Justin Best of the popular J. Breezy YouTube channel (formerly Christian Truthers) said he is “questioning the authenticity of the NT [New Testament] and the existence of a historical ‘Jesus’ character.” This article will look at and answer some of his claims.
There are a lot of questions that arise from such a scandal. This article is just my attempt to work out my own questions and reflect on what lessons we can and must learn from this tragic situation.
About David Wilber
David is first and foremost a passionate follower of Yeshua the Messiah. He is also a writer, speaker, and teacher.
David’s heart is to minister to God’s people by helping them rediscover the validity and blessing of God’s Torah and help prepare them to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope within them (1 Peter 3:15)…
David Wilber
David Wilber is an author, Bible teacher, Messianic/Christian apologist, and joint CEO of Pronomian Publishing LLC. He has written several books, including his most recent work, "Remember the Sabbath: What the New Testament Says About Sabbath Observance for Christians." In addition to his books, David has written numerous theological articles for various publications and websites. David lives in Lake Wylie, SC, with his wife and two children. His articles and teachings can be found at DavidWilber.com.
From the very beginning, human beings have been quick to blame others rather than take responsibility for their own wrongdoing. In this week’s Torah portion, Bereshit, we see how Adam and Eve’s response to their sin reveals a tendency that continues to plague humanity today. As followers of Yeshua, we are called to break this cycle of blame-shifting through humility, repentance, and personal responsibility.