November 23

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” — Rom 4:18 BSB

Hope is a fruit of the Spirit, and the complete absence of hope signifies death in the soul where it is found. Some might ask, "Don't God's children sometimes fall into despair?" No, not true despair. They may come very close to it, standing on the edge, feeling the weight of its oppressive winds, but they never fully fall into it. No living soul has ever crossed that line into despair. If they did, they would no longer be in "the land of the living." To step into despair would mean being swept away into the torrents of eternal perdition.

Hell is the place of despair, and the conscience of the reprobate experiences this despair even before they are cast into hell's flames. Unless someone has fully entered into the feelings of the damned in hell (which, even in their deepest sorrow, no child of God can fully know), they cannot say they have truly crossed into despair. There is always a "Who can tell?"—a secret support from God’s everlasting arms. There is an invisible bond that keeps the soul from falling completely, a golden chain from God's throne of mercy and truth that prevents the soul from being drawn into the whirlpool of destruction.

This invisible arm sustains the soul from being swept away in the floods of despair. This help is often felt through a lifting of the heart in prayer and the relief that comes from crying out to God. It upholds the soul from being overwhelmed by despair, even when it seems as though God's wrath is about to carry it away. Therefore, every child of God, quickened by the Spirit, has some degree of hope, however small, that keeps them from total destruction. This is why the complete absence of hope marks spiritual death.