The Battle Between Despair and Hope (Ephesians 6)
By Dr. Brandon Steenbock
It was 2 A.M. I was sitting at my desk in the basement of my house, while my family slept upstairs. A half-finished can of Starbucks cold coffee sat in front of me. I stared at the computer screen, the words starting to jumble together, the blinking cursor taunting me. I’d been working on my doctoral thesis for months, and I was hitting a wall. The section just wasn’t coming together. I still had a long way to go. And after that, revisions, reviews, and endless formatting.
As I sat staring at the glowing screen, my shoulders sank and my hands fell into my lap and I said to myself, “I just want to give up.” Years of reading and writing and classwork had led to this – the culmination of my educational journey. And I wanted to give up.
What I didn’t realize fully at the time was that I had been sinking into depression. Too much work, too little sleep, negative self-talk, and the impending transition from student to… whatever would come next had become a toxic mix for my mind, heart, and soul. It wasn’t just the thesis. I was despairing of life itself as an endless cycle of work and struggle..
Despair is not just a state of mind. It’s an attack from the Enemy. It’s his way of dragging us out of the fight so that we’re no longer a threat to him. He doesn’t want us on the battlefield – because followers of Jesus fighting for God’s truth and love are the biggest threat to his agenda.
But God equips us against despair. In Ephesians 6, we read about the Armor of God. Truth: God loves you and values you. Righteousness: Jesus’ blood covers you. Peace: The Gospel anchors you when no one else does. Faith: God will bring you into his light. The Sword of the Spirit: His Word tells you your work is not in vain.
When you’re equipped with all that armor, it adds up to the antithesis of despair: Hope. Hope that God has already won the war. Hope that he is coming back to crush the Enemy for good. Hope that your fight is worth it.
Don’t let despair take you out of the fight. Keep the armor on. Keep the sword in your hand. Stay rooted in God’s strength. Hope in the Lord and the power of his victory.
Prayer: Lord, when I feel weak and in despair, put your armor on me and help me stay rooted in you. Give me strength to continue the fight, and hope in your victory. Amen.
Thank you for reading our special devotional series for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The rest of this devotional series can be found here.