Have you ever faced a desperate situation? Are you facing one now? I certainly hope and pray that is not the case with you. But if it is, I believe the fresh message of hope and encouragement in this letter will help you.
Three Words of Hope
The inspiration for what I share here came at a recent DPM staff prayer meeting. One of the matters for prayer was the desperate physical condition of a dear friend of the ministry. He has faced a prolonged battle with cancer and just received the news from his doctors that they had done all they could for him. After treating him, they discharged him from the hospital to go home with hospice care. Apart from a miracle of healing, his life on this earth could soon end.
As our staff prepared to pray for him, I shared some thoughts. First, God is certainly able to perform a miracle. Second, whether the Lord heals him or takes our brother home to be with Him, God is still good. I paraphrased a passage from Joel 2, where Joel reminded the people of Israel that even when they faced impending devastation, they should still turn to the Lord, for “He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.” Regardless of what happens, God is much more merciful and loving than we often give Him credit for. Following these remarks, our staff prayed with faith for our friend.
Afterward, I returned to my office to look further at the exact wording of the passage I had shared from memory. That’s when I saw three amazing words of hope, spoken by God Himself to His people. In the New American Standard version, Joel 2:12 begins with these three words from the Lord: “Yet even now. . . .”
Yet Even Now
What do those three little words say to us? That even in the midst of the most desperate situation, there is yet hope when we turn to the Lord. “Yet even now. . . .”
Even after the Lord’s lengthy warning in Joel 1 of the calamity to come, God held out hope. Everything in the warning spoke of absolute devastation and desperation. “The vine dries up and the fig tree fails . . . all the trees of the field dry up" (1:12). “Alas for the day! . . . a day of darkness and gloom . . . there has never been anything like it” (1:15; 2:2).
But, in spite of all those dire predictions, God spoke these three words of hope: “Yet even now. . . .” What did they need to do? Turn to Him with all their hearts through prayer and fasting. The Lord is saying that it’s never too late to turn to Him.
Three More Words
These are not the only three words of hope spoken in this passage. Joel follows God’s words with prophetic words of his own, reminding us of the goodness of God, and His amazing, abundant lovingkindness. Joel begins verse 14 with these words: “Who knows whether. . . .”
Joel is reminding us that God is able to do anything, even that which we might consider impossible. In place of the calamity facing us, God may instead “leave a blessing behind Him.” We simply won’t know what He may do and how He may answer until we turn to Him in our desperate situation.
What is the key to all of this? Actually, it lies in three more words of hope that we see consistently in teachings by Derek Prince relating to this theme of hope and encouragement. Those three simple words from Derek are: “Don’t give up.”
Don’t Give Up
Throughout his ministry, Derek had an incredible ability to feel the pulse of the people to whom he was speaking. It’s apparent that his greatest gift was to teach and impart biblical truth in a way that gave practical help, encouragement and hope, as we see in the following quotes from several of his audio teachings:
From “God Challenges Job”
There’s only one way to cultivate endurance. What is it? To endure. Hold on. Don’t give up. I’ve had the opportunity over the years to watch Christians in various stages of progress. Every now and then I’ll lose contact with a Christian, and then maybe ten or twenty years later, I’ll meet him again. And sometimes I say, “How did he make such progress?” You know what I concluded? All you have to do is hang in. If you don’t give up, God will bring you through. But if you give up, you’re sunk. So, don’t give up. Hang in there. Just when it’s toughest, don’t give up . . . because you’ll miss the best that God has for you in this life.
From “Endurance”
First, start by a firm commitment to the Lord with purpose of heart. Secondly, keep your eye on the invisible. Thirdly, if you fail, don’t give up. Others have failed before you. You’re looking at one of them. That’s one of the devil’s cleverest tricks—to say, “You’re a failure. You might as well give up. God has given up on you.” Don’t believe him. He’s a liar. . . . Even if you fall, don’t give up. God will pick you up.
From a Romans series message (“Romans 4:1 – 4:25”)
You may be facing tremendous tests and temptations. You may feel you’ve failed God and the bottom has dropped out of life. I’ll tell you what you can do. Go on believing. Don’t give up your faith, because God will see you through if you don’t abandon your faith. That’s the one critical mistake you must not make.
There’s no guarantee we won’t make mistakes . . . that we won’t get into problems . . . that we won’t fail. But God says, “As long as you keep on believing, your faith will be reckoned to you as righteousness. And on that basis, I’ll bring you through. You may not know how, it may seem impossible, but don’t give up your faith.”
A Firm Proclamation
I hope this message of hope and perseverance is coming through loud and clear. Why not take a moment and make your own declaration of determination and faith right now? Regardless of your situation, please take a moment to pray these words:
“Yet even now, Lord, no matter the circumstances I am facing, I trust in You. You are able to bring me through. Even though my trees have dried up and my day is dark and gloomy, You are able to bring life and light. You are my sun and my shield. Who knows whether, as I call on You in earnest faith, You may leave a blessing, turning my situation from calamity to hope and resolution. I look to You now in hope, and I will not give up. I will not give up.”
