Hope When You Are At Your Wit’s End

“Some went off to sea in ships, plying the trade routes of the world. They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action, his impressive works on the deepest seas. He spoke, and the winds rose, stirring up the waves. Their ships were tossed to the heavens and plunged again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror. They… were at their wits’ end. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves….Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.” – Psalm 107:23-31.

Hope is a good thing. Hope in action is a better thing. The devil doesn’t want you to have either. Satan wants you stressing, because he doesn’t want you hopeful or active in God’s work. He wants you stressing over bills, or the inability to have a child, or your appearance, or your health, or whether you are maturing in your spiritual life. It doesn’t matter what you are stressing about, if you have stress in your life then hope will diminish. At least that is the devil’s plan. He wants you at your wit’s end.

When we are at our wit’s end, we see it as a sign of weakness or failure, evidence that your life is spinning out of control. And in that situation it is hard to see much hope. In times like these we need to remember that many people in the Bible were at their wits end. In Psalm 107 we read “the sailors cringed in terror. They… were at their wits’ end.” (Vs. 27)

The good news about being at our wit’s end is that God meets us there. When I’m at my wits’ end, I go to the Lord to restore my soul and my spirit. God reminds us in Psalm 71:20-21: “You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth. You will restore me to even greater honor and comfort me once again.”

2018 taught us anew that being at our wit’s end isn’t really the end of a thing, but the beginning. The end of thinking I can rescue myself, that I can build the spiritual walls needing building is the beginning of crying out to the Lord for His strength, grace and love. The most secure place when hope has faded is clinging to Jesus, the reason for our hope and for our peace. “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:2)

Wit’s end is the place from which we reflect, remember, rejoice and hope. It is a time to be thankful for God’s presence in our lives and ask God for direction going forward and serve as a reminder that without God we have nothing and with Him I have everything.

Discussion Questions:

Have you been at your wit’s end? What did you do about it?
What do we do when Satan tempts us and tries to undermine our hope?