Cultivating Hope in Suffering

Beth M. Broom, LPC-S, CCTP-II

Everyone needs hope in order to keep going when life becomes overwhelming, but hope can be very elusive. And without hope, our suffering can lead to despair and apathy. Praise God that as believers in Jesus, we never have to wonder if there is hope for something better than what we’re facing right now. 

Hope is not just a wish for something good to happen. It’s a strong confidence placed in something or someone we trust. As believers, our hope is meant to be set on God, but we can’t just make ourselves have hope in the midst of suffering. We have to build hope into our lives on a day-to-day basis. 

Romans 5:1-11 is a passage that helps us understand the ways in which our suffering can lead to greater confidence in God. Paul reminds us that because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we have been justified and reconciled with God. This gives us a Godward perspective of our suffering. We have been rescued by God’s grace, and his love has been poured into our hearts. The Holy Spirit lives inside us to empower and equip us for our journey in life. This means that our suffering, like everything else we experience, is purposeful. 

Romans 5:3-5 tells us that we can remain confident in God even when we suffer because we know that our suffering produces endurance. As we endure trials, we grow stronger to keep going. That endurance produces character, meaning that our faith gets proven over and over again as we keep moving forward. And finally, character produces hope. We can see God’s work in our lives, and we are more and more confident in him with every step of the journey.

This is a beautiful concept, but we don’t come by it accidentally. How can we work to endure our suffering and grow in character and confidence? We need to protect ourselves against losing heart, and this can come through cultivating remembrance and gratitude. Here’s how I do this with people.

First, I ask counselees to think back to a time when they experienced suffering. I invite them to describe it, and then I ask what helped them to endure through it. Perhaps a friend encouraged them or a particular Scripture gave them hope. I’m looking for ways in which they have endured past suffering so that we can create ideas for how to practically endure current and future suffering. 

I also ask about what brings joy to their life. I want them to focus on what is good (Philippians 4:8) for the sake of cultivating gratitude. I even encourage counselees to keep a gratitude journal and write in it whenever they notice something good in life. This is a wise and healthy habit that helps produce endurance. 

As we endure trials, character is formed in us. This is no small thing, and I invite counselees to pay attention to the ways in which their perseverance is transforming them to make them look more like Jesus. I remind them of 1 Peter 1:3-9, which encourages us to cling to God in the midst of suffering, knowing that our faith is being refined like gold in a fire. 

Here’s one final truth I always want to remind my counselees: clinging to hope when they are suffering does not mean they have to minimize their pain. It means they acknowledge the pain and then acknowledge that they don’t possess the strength to keep hoping. We need our Savior, who completely understands the weakness that comes because of living in a fallen world (Hebrews 4:14-16). When we fix our eyes on Him, we can see beauty and goodness because He has come in order that our suffering would end (Hebrews 12:1-3). 

This process of endurance in the midst of suffering is a significant part of our sanctification. Just as Jesus was made complete through what he suffered (Hebrews 2:10), so we share in his suffering and endure to the end. When we grow discouraged in the suffering, we look up. We recognize that our help comes from him who made heaven and earth (Psalm 121:1-2), and we hope in him.

We have created a worksheet that helps sufferers process ways in which they can grow in endurance through suffering. This tool is available to all CTHN members. Click HERE to access it.