Three Steps to Sustain Hope in Crisis

As I write these words, my body is weak—this is my third round of COVID, and it feels like a truck has hit me. My head is heavy, the cough won’t quit, and isolation presses in like a silent wall.

Just days ago, I completed twelve weeks of ministry, both here in the U.S. and across the sea at the International Church in Helsinki, Finland.

Yesterday, I had to cancel what was to be a precious time with my dear friends Danny and Connie Brown at Bethel in Dayton, Ohio. That decision was painful.

All of this comes as I continue walking through the aching journey of Marsha’s passing. It’s a valley I never asked to travel, and the shadows are real.

Grief has a way of showing up uninvited, raw, holy, relentless. And through it all, I’ve sensed an ongoing spiritual warfare, a relentless enemy trying to rob me of something sacred: hope.

If you’ve ever stood at the bridge between what was and what now is… if you’ve felt the fog of sorrow roll in… I want you to know this: you are not alone.

And though I’ve been struck, I am not destroyed. My soul still sings of great Hope and great Victory. And I want to pour that into your heart today.

Three Steps to Sustain Hope in Crisis, anchored in the eternal Word of God:

• Hold On to the Anchor of His Promise

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” — Hebrews 6:19

When everything around you is shifting—grief, illness, disappointment—His promises do not move. Anchor yourself in what God has spoken. The wind may howl, but His Word holds fast.

• Speak Life into Your Valley

“I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” — Ezekiel 37:6

Don’t let despair do all the talking. In the valley of dry bones, the Word of the Lord creates resurrection. Speak His truth into the silence. Even when your voice trembles, let it declare life.

• Wait with Expectation, Not Resignation

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles…” — Isaiah 40:31

Waiting isn’t weakness, it’s worship. It’s not giving up; it’s looking up. Expectancy is the seed of a miracle. In your waiting, God is working.

Dear friend, if you feel like your hope is flickering low, I speak over you today: Your flame will not go out. The Lord tends to smoldering wicks and breathes upon weary hearts. Hope may bend, but in Him, it will never break.

With deep love,

Mike