可欣的兒子在七歲時因癌症病逝。三年後，她的大兒子也被診斷出罹患絕症。可欣身邊那些未信主的朋友雖與她一同悲傷，卻無法理解為何她仍要信耶穌。他們問道：「妳的上帝怎能讓這種事發生？妳為什麼還要信靠祂？」

但對可欣來說，這反而給她更堅信上帝的理由。她說：「我不明白為什麼會發生這些事，但我相信上帝會幫助我們渡過難關。只有上帝能賜給我盼望，讓我能繼續前行。」

大衛王也是憑著這樣的信心和盼望，在艱難的處境中繼續前行。當時，許多仇敵圍攻他，想要殺害他，他或許也無法理解為何會遭遇這些苦難。但大衛清楚知道，他跟隨的這位上帝信實可靠，上帝會安排適當的時機拯救他、賜福給他（詩篇31篇14-16節）。這種堅定的盼望使大衛能繼續順服上帝，並說：「我終身的事在祢手中」（15節）。這也激勵大衛振作起來，讓他能鼓勵別人說：「凡仰望耶和華的人，你們都要壯膽，堅固你們的心！」（24節）

當我們感到不勝負荷、前路茫茫的時候，我們更要緊緊地抓住上帝，以及唯有祂能賜下使人得生命的盼望。

Kristin’s son had died from cancer when he was just seven. Now, three years later, her older son was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Friends who were not believers in Jesus grieved with her, but they couldn’t understand why she continued to trust Christ. “How could your God allow this? Why keep believing in Him?” they asked.

For Kristin, however, it was an even stronger reason to keep believing. “I don’t understand why this is happening,” she said, “but I know God will help us through this. Only God can give me hope to keep going.”

Such a hope and trust kept King David going when he found himself in overwhelming circumstances. Surrounded by enemies seeking his destruction, he probably couldn’t understand why all this was happening to him. Yet he knew he was following a God he could trust to deliver and bless him in His time (Psalm 31:14-16). This certain hope enabled him to keep submitting to God and to say, “My times are in your hands” (v. 15). And it uplifted him, such that he could also say, “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord” (v. 24).

In times when we feel overwhelmed and there seems little to look forward to, we know we can hang on even more tightly to God and the life-giving hope He alone provides.