Despair

In the 1970’s, Dr. Harry Harlow, an American professor, and his students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison conducted a series of test on (ree sus ma cock) rhesus macaque monkeys to see if they could produce a sense of hopelessness in the monkeys. Professor Harlow and his students placed baby monkeys in a small windowless box alone for up to six weeks. Within a few days, the young monkeys stopped moving about and remained crowd together in a corner. The monkeys were found to be mentally unbalanced when removed from the chamber, and most did not recover.

The little monkeys had lost all hope, so they gave up.

Well, you and I are not monkeys; but I am sure that most of us when facing some difficult challenge have said to ourselves, “Oh, what’s the use? I am never going to win! This is just an impossible task!”

Great Britain faced an impossible during the Second World War. England was under a merciless attack from German forces on all fronts. U2 missiles were pounding London and much of England day and night. On October 29, 1941, Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited Harrow School, the school he attended as a boy. As he listened to the traditional songs he had sung there as a youth, he was visibly moved. When the time came for him to speak all eyes were on him, expecting him to give another one of his eloquent spellbinding speeches. However, his speech was one of the shortest on record.

He simply said, “Never give up. Never, never, never give up!” And he sat down. Those that heard him that day saw a new ray of hope, and determined to fight on, and eventually won the war.

What about you today? Do you feel like giving up? Is there an invisible sense of hopelessness that seems to surround you? If this is the case, I want you to encourage you.

One of the best pieces of advice in this regard comes from the Apostle Paul, who encourages with these words: “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." Galatians 6:9

This implies, first of all that he assumes that we are good people, and are attempting to do good works. Secondly, this verse implies that to despair—or as it says here, to lose heart—is an act of our will. We can choose to not lose heart. And, thirdly, we have the promise that we will be rewarded for our noble efforts.

The wonderful truth is that God sent Jesus to this world in order to give us hope for the future. That hope has the promise of God behind it, too. Listen to what the Bible says about that in modern English—it says:
For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him shall not be destroyed but have eternal (everlasting) life.
(John 3:16, paraphrased)

Now, doesn’t it seem reasonable that if God would give up his Only Begotten Son—whom He raised from the dead—to rescue us from the pit of despair that He will keep his promise?

Sure it does! And, isn’t the resurrection of Jesus from the dead proof enough that God has the power to keep His promise?

So, be of good cheer! God’s promises can be trusted.

Therefore, as the Bible instruct us; do not throw away your confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward this kind of trust will bring you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. (Hebrews 10:35-36, paraphrased)