Before going on the field, I lived for a year in Chicago to attend Bible college, which was my first introduction to the American inner city. My neighborhood wouldn’t have won any awards for safety—quite the contrary. The house across the street was known for its drug dealing, and I was always home by sundown. 

As I walked the area’s streets, a certain attitude hung in the air like humidity before a thunderstorm: hopelessness. I saw it on the faces I passed on the sidewalk and met in the shops. I heard it in the voices of the store clerks and pedestrians I spoke to. This lack of hope suffocated all joy and positivity, leaving nothing but anger and despair in its wake—no wonder alcohol and drugs were plentiful and crime thrived.

When people give up hope, they stop trying for a better life because, frankly, what’s the point? If there is no chance of success, then why even try? 

Faith and hope are intertwined. In fact, according to Hebrews 11:1, faith is the certainty of what we hope for. So, it’s no surprise that Satan’s strategy is to destroy our hope because if he succeeds, he destroys our faith. He aims to drown humanity in a sea of despair and hopelessness.  

Which is where we come in. As God’s servants, we have the privilege of spreading hope to those around us, regardless of our specific calling. Whether teachers, doctors, evangelists, aid workers, or anything in between, we are called to be “sowers of hope.”  

How do we do this? By showing that God is faithful and trustworthy. After all, the antidote to hopelessness is trusting God. Countless verses encourage us to put our hope in God. One famous example is Jeremiah 29:11, where God tells us that His plans for us are good and full of hope. The more we focus on the faithfulness of God, the more we trust Him, and the better we can fight all attempts to plunge us into despair.  

No matter our work, may we be known as messengers of hope.