For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you.

- Psalm 71:5-6

Your last hope is praise.

I have never felt more helpless than I did the day the fertility specialist told me I had an extremely low chance of carrying a child to term. He also could not recommend any other measures because IVF and the like were not an option for me.

The hallway from that meeting room back to the waiting area felt like the length of a football field, and my body felt twice as heavy as I stepped up into my SUV.

For a few days, I felt hopeless. I felt as though the door to one of my greatest desires had been tightly shut and locked with me on the outside.

I can’t remember what the exact “thing” was, but it was days later that I remembered there is always hope with God.

Things may not play out the way you planned or imagined, but Jesus is our hope and He is always there.

I spent the next months praising in a new way.

I wept through church services and cried through daily prayers, but I let praise come out of me through all of those tears.

It was truly my praise that kept me going in that season.

Praise fought off the hopelessness like the last warrior defending the stronghold, and in time I stopped feeling like all hope was lost.

I started seeing other areas of my life that were joy-filled and blessings from God.

If you’re struggling to hold on to hope, I implore you today to PRAISE. You ALWAYS have hope in Christ. The end result may look different than what you pictured, but you won’t be alone when you get there.

With Love,
Janay