Hope in the Future

The adversary uses despair to bind hearts and minds in suffocating darkness. Despair drains from us all that is vibrant and joyful and leaves behind the empty remnants of what life was meant to be. Despair kills ambition, advances sickness, pollutes the soul, and deadens the heart. Despair can seem life a staircase taht leads only and forever downward. Hope, on the other hand, is like the beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of our present circumstances. it pierces teh darkness with a brilliant dawn. it encourages and inspires us to place our trust in the loving care of an eternal heavenly Father, who has prepared a way for those who seek for eternal truth in a world of relativism, confusion, and of fear.

~ Dieter F. Utchdorf, The Infinite Power of Hope, Conference October 2008

It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It all works out in the end. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers.

~ Gordon B. Hinckley, Put Your Trust In God, From the funeral program for Marjorie Pay Hinckley, April 10, 2004

Be assured that there is a safe harbor. You can find peace amidst the storms that threaten you. Your Heavenly Father—who knows when even a sparrow falls—knows of your heartache and suffering. He loves you and wants the best for you. Never doubt this. While He allows all of us to make choices that may not always be for our own or even others’ well-being, and while He does not always intervene in the course of events, He has promised the faithful peace even in their trials and tribulations.

~ Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Finding a Safe Harbor,” Ensign, May 2000, 59

To any who may be struggling to see that light and find that hope, I say: Hold on. Keep trying. God loves you. Things will improve. Christ comes to you in His ‘more excellent ministry’ with a future of ‘better promises.’ He is your ‘high priest of good things to come.

~ Jeffrey R. Holland, “An High Priest of Good Things to Come,” Ensign,Nov. 1999, 36

I recognize that, on occasion, some of our most fervent prayers may seem to go unanswered. We wonder, ‘Why?’ I know that feeling! I know the fears and tears of such moments. But I also know that our prayers are never ignored. Our faith is never unappreciated. I know that an all-wise Heavenly Father’s perspective is much broader than is ours. While we know of our mortal problems and pain, He knows of our immortal progress and potential. If we pray to know His will and submit ourselves to it with patience and courage, heavenly healing can take place in His own way and time.

~ Russell M. Nelson, “Jesus Christ—the Master Healer,” Ensign, Nov. 2005, 86

At times there appears to be no light at the tunnel’s end—no dawn to break the night’s darkness. We feel surrounded by the pain of broken hearts, the disappointment of shattered dreams, and the despair of vanished hopes… We feel abandoned, heartbroken, alone. To all who so despair, may I offer the assurance of the Psalmist’s words: ‘Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning’ (Psalm 30:5). Whenever we are inclined to feel burdened down with the blows of life’s fight, let us remember that others have passed the same way, have endured, and then have overcome.”

~ Thomas S. Monson, “Meeting Life’s Challenges,” Ensign, Nov. 1993

Though “anchored” in grand and ultimate hope, some of our tactical hopes are another matter. We may hope for a pay raise, a special date, an electoral victory, or for a bigger house—things which may or may not be realized. Faith in Father’s plan gives us endurance even amid the wreckage of such proximate hopes. Hope keeps us “anxiously engaged” in good causes even when these appear to be losing causes 

~ Neil A. Maxwell, Brightness Of Hope, Conference, October 1944

 Regardless of how desperate things may seem, remember—we can always have hope. Always! The Lord’s promise to us is certain: “He that endureth in faith and doeth my will, the same shall overcome.” I repeat—there is always hope! Hope is part of our religion… We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things.” 

~ Russell M. Neilson, “A More Excellent Hope”, February 1997

 There may be some among you who feel darkness encroaching upon you. You may feel burdened by worry, fear, or doubt. To you and to all of us, I repeat a wonderful and certain truth: God’s light is real. It is available to all! It gives life to all things. It has the power to soften the sting of the deepest wound. It can be a healing balm for the loneliness and sickness of our souls. In the furrows of despair, it can plant the seeds of a brighter hope. It can enlighten the deepest valleys of sorrow. It can illuminate the path before us and lead us through the darkest night into the promise of a new dawn.

~ Dieter F. Utchdorf, The Hope of God's Light, General Conference April 2013

Admittedly we have ample reason to be deeply concerned because we see no immediate answers to the seemingly unsolvable problems confronting the human family. But regardless of this dark picture, which will ultimately get worse, we must never allow ourselves to give up hope!... My message to you today, my brothers and sisters, is simply this: the Lord is in control. He knows the end from the beginning. He has given us adequate instruction that, if followed, will see us safely through any crisis.

~ M. Russell Ballard, The Joy Of Hope Fulfilled, Conference, October 1992 

My Own Thoughts and Testimony; 

With the gospel of Jesus Christ as the center of our lives, we have all reasons to hope for good things to come. Hope is a choice we make, tied together closely with faith and charity. When we choose to have hope our souls are filled with light and no power of darkness can overcome us. Yes we will still have moments when it seems that everything seems to go wrong and and nothing seems to make sense but hold on. Have the hope and the faith in God that He knows what He's doing. He knows what he wants you to become, and if you are doing all you can to obey His commandments and to serve Him, He will bless you immensely beyond anything you could have imagined. Hove hope in this world for light will always overcome the darkness. With hope in our lives we choose to follow the light.