Never Give Up

"I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds." — Psalm 77:11—12

The word “hopeless” is one of the saddest words in the world. All other words, no matter how terrible a situation they describe, are not nearly as tragic. Bad situations can always change, but hopeless situations are forever. Sometimes, hope is the thin thread that can pull a person through the toughest of times. When hope dies, a part of the person dies too.

That’s why Psalm 77 urges us to never give up. The word “hopeless” should be erased from the English language. Because no matter how helpless a situation may seem, there is no such thing as a situation that God can’t help.

King David was feeling pretty hopeless when he began this Psalm: “Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?” (Psalm 77:8—9). In other words, is there no hope? Am I stuck in this rut forever?

David was experiencing tremendous suffering and wondered if it would ever end. Don’t we feel the same way during difficult times? When the night is so dark and so long, it’s hard to believe that the sun will ever shine again. So how do we get through it? How do we hang on to hope when there doesn’t seem to be any?

The Psalmist shared the secret: “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.” The miracle that David is referring to is the parting of the Red Sea, when God took the Israelites out of Egypt. This one event has become iconic for two reasons. First, because it was so grand, and second, because the Jews were completely undeserving of it. Out of 50 levels of impurity, they had sunk to level 49. But God did tremendous miracles on their behalf anyway.

The message of Psalm 77 is that if God could do miracles for the undeserving Israelites, He can do them for you too. And He will!

Don’t ever give up. Our God has a proven track record. If you are having trouble believing that the sun will rise again tomorrow, remember the sunrise of yesterday.

With prayers for shalom, peace,


Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President