The very nature of accepting Jesus gives us lasting hope that can never be taken away.
It is not uncommon for us to feel hopeless many times in our lives. Illnesses, the ending of relationships, and financial strain can leave us feeling hopeless. Even though we may feel hopeless at times, God is always the source of our hope. We can always have hope in our Lord as He is the anchor of our souls (Hebrews 6:19). If you feel hopeless, here are three parables to remember.
1. The Parable of the Mustard Seed
The first parable to remember when you are feeling hopeless is the parable of the mustard seed. The parable of the mustard seed is found in Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32, and Luke 13:18-19. From the book of Matthew, the parable of the mustard seed is spoken by Jesus, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches” (Matthew 13:31-32). This parable gives us hope because even though the mustard seed is the smallest of seeds, Jesus tells us it becomes the largest garden plant and even becomes a tree.
The parable of the mustard seed is an allegory to the kingdom of God. Even though the start of the kingdom began small, it would start growing and growing to become larger. As we have seen throughout history into the present day, Christianity has spread to nearly most of the world, and millions of individuals profess to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord. This parable and the meaning behind the parable can give us hope. Often, we can feel hopeless because everything going on around us is negative and painful. Even through these dark times, we can have hope because we know God’s kingdom is advancing. We may feel that everything is going wrong and there is no hope, yet with God, there is always hope.
Our lives can be extremely difficult at times. For many of us, the dark season may last a few days, yet for many of us, the dark season may last a lifetime. Despite these difficult and dark times, we can always have hope in the Lord. One day in the future, we will be united with Christ, and we will never feel hopeless again. Our final destination is with Christ, and we can look forward to this day with hope. God never promises to take us out of hard times, yet He can use these hard times to help advance His kingdom.
2. The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
A second parable to remember when you feel hopeless is the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl. These parables are recorded in Matthew 13:44-46, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” These parables also give us hope in the sense that we are similar to the man who found the treasure as well as the merchant who found the fine pearls.
Like the parable of the mustard seed, these parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl are allegorical to the kingdom of heaven. We are the man who found the treasure in the field and the merchant who found the fine pearls. The treasure in the field and the fine pearls are allegorical to the kingdom of Heaven. Once we come to know Jesus, we rejoice and celebrate, similar to the man who found the treasure and the merchant who found the fine pearls. These two parables can give us hope when we are feeling hopeless because we can reflect on the time when we first remember coming to know the Lord.
Try to remember the first joy you had when you knew Christ as your Savior. Many of us felt relieved to be forgiven of our sins and are now a member of God’s family. The joy and love we felt when we accepted Christ are unlike any other feeling we could experience on earth. The very nature of accepting Jesus gives us lasting hope that can never be taken away. The future promise of the kingdom of heaven can give us hope when we feel hopeless.
3. The Parable of the Prodigal Son
A third parable to remember when you feel hopeless is the parable of the prodigal son. This parable is found in Luke 15:11-32. This is a popular parable that many of us are familiar with. In this parable, there are two sons—the older son stays with his father and continues to help his father take care of his estate. The younger son leaves his father's home and squanders all of the wealth his father gave him in wild living. After the younger son loses all of his wealth, he hires himself to work for a man to feed his pigs. While the younger son was feeding the pigs, he was so hungry that he longed to eat the muck the pigs were eating. At this time, the younger son truly realized the mistake he had made by leaving his father and indulging in a life of sin.
The younger son chooses to return to his father and decides he will work as a hired hand to his father. He had expected his father to be upset with him or not to accept him home, yet his father does just the opposite. The father sees his younger son and runs to him. The younger son apologizes to his father and tells him he sinned against him and heaven. The father is not upset with his son but instead is overcome with happiness and joy with the return of his son. He places a ring and a special robe on his younger son and throws a great celebration with the fattened calf to celebrate the return of his younger son (Luke 15:17-23).
The father declares, “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:24). This allegory refers to our relationship with God. God is our father, and we are the prodigal son. Even though we turn away from God, rebel, and live a life of sin, when we return to God, He welcomes us home with open arms. We are never too far from God. He loves us eternally, and He will never turn us away. All people are His beloved children, and he wants everyone to come to accept Him. This parable gives us hope because no matter how many times we fall back into sin, God welcomes us home when we return to Him.
If you are in need of hope, remind yourself of the parable of the prodigal son. No matter what we have done or what we do, God still loves us and welcomes us home. We don’t need to feel hopeless because God always loves us, and He has a permanent home for us in heaven. When things become hopeless or overwhelming, we need to turn to God and allow Him to wrap us in His arms. It is common to feel hopeless, yet we are never without hope because God is always with us. We have the sure promise that one day we will be with Him in paradise.
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