"And provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor." (Isa 61:3 NIV)
As Christians, we can retain the hope that even as we feel despairing, sad, and dirty, these things are only temporary. Jer. 29:11 tells us that even in the midst of being exiled, God has good plans for us, and Rom. 8:28 says that things will work out if we love Him. Paul goes on to write that even in the greatest hardship, we are more than conquerors.
Where we see despair, hopelessness, and loss, God sees joy, righteousness, and fruitfulness.
Sometimes it's hard to look at our situations the way God does. It takes real effort to grab on to the promise of hope when everything is the opposite.
The Syrian army had surrounded Elisha's city. His servant was fearful asked Elisha what they should do. Elisha calmly told his servant that there were more with them than in the Syrian army surrounding the city. It didn't make any sense to the servant, and so Elisha prayed that God would open his eyes. What the servant saw was a vast angelic army riding flaming chariots (See 2 Kings 6:15-17).
You can ask God to make your faith stronger, to help you hold on to his promise that he will take care of you. He'll bring help to you if you'd just let him.
