It pains me to say this, but during the supervision phase of my ACBC certification, I failed in one aspect more times than I’d like to admit. The required case report asks, “How did you give hope in this session?” – and I remember thinking on numerous occasions, “Uh oh…did I? I probably smiled…does that count?”
In response to my glowing failure in this area, I prayed and asked the Lord to equip me to be a hope-filled biblical counselor. Yet the more I studied Scripture, the more I came to see that giving hope is not merely “a helpful tool” ––it’s the heartbeat of biblical counseling. What is more, it’s the heartbeat of the gospel. Every counselee who sits across from us needs to be reminded of the hope they have in Jesus Christ, that genuine change is possible, and Christ Himself is present and sufficient in every circumstance.
Without hope, people are tempted to sink into despair (2 Corinthians 1:8-10). With hope—biblical hope—they begin to see that the living God is always at work, sanctifying, strengthening, and sustaining His children through every trial (Romans 8:28-29; Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 1:3; 1 Peter 5:10). They gain God’s perspective, reinterpreting their lives through His character and Word.
What Is Hope, Really?
The world often presents hope as a wish, a vague optimism, or even a willful determination to say, “Things will get better.” But that’s not the kind of hope Scripture commends.
A sea anchor is often used by ships when the sea is too deep for an anchor to reach the bottom (imagine a parachute under the water). As I understand it, a sea anchor will indeed hold the ship relatively steady, but it is still at the mercy of the storm, and definitely at the mercy of the current. A land anchor is what you probably think of when you hear the word anchor, as it is what ships will use to fasten themselves to the ocean floor.
Worldly hope is akin to “sea anchor hope” which are optimistic truisms, that still leave the individual at the mercy of life’s storms. For example, if a parent has a child who is a biter, it may be helpful to remind the parents that very few adults go around biting others when they don’t get their own way and their child will most likely stop this behavior with time. This reminder, while it may provide some hope for the parents, is still only sea anchor hope – it’s not biblical hope that actually addresses the heart issue behind such a behavior.
Biblical hope is different. It’s not considering anticipated outcomes, or wishful thinking, but a confident expectation of future blessing based on the unchanging character and promises of God. It’s like a land anchor that clings to the ground, transcending the wind, waves, and strong currents. That’s the hope the Bible gives time and time again, and that’s the hope our counselees need!
In Psalm 42, when the psalmist cries, “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” he does not answer with, “This too shall pass.” Instead, the psalmist cries, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? Hope in God!” (Psalm 42:5). He’s not rallying himself with positive, sea anchor talk. He’s casting the anchor of his heart into the unchanging Rock of his salvation (Psalm 42:5, 9a). This is the hope of the gospel. A hope both sure and steadfast because it is impossible for God to lie and His promises do not change for those have taken hold of Christ by faith (Hebrews 6:17-19).
Hope Promised
Jesus doesn’t merely acknowledge the burdens of His children, as if He’s shouting from heaven, “It’ll all work out in the end!” Rather, Jesus promises Himself as the solution. Several verses may serve as helpful reminders on this point:
- Matthew 11:28–30 – “Come to me…and you will find rest for your souls.” The answer to your counselee’s problem is a Person. And when they place their trust in Christ, He promises rest. His yoke is easy and His burden is light, because He gives the strength to walk in obedience. Encourage them to cast their anchor on Jesus Christ.
- Romans 8:28–39 – God is not scrambling to make the best of a bad situation (See Lamentations 3:37-38; Isaiah 46:10-11). He is working in your counselee’s troubles for His purposes, to conform them to the image of Christ. And nothing—no suffering, no sin, no circumstance—can separate believers from His eternal love.
- Philippians 4:6–9 – God doesn’t just give peace; He gives Himself. The “peace of God” in verse 7 is inseparable from the “God of peace” in verse 9. Hope is not a feeling—it’s a Person.
Passages like these remind us as counselors that, if we are going to say what the Bible says to our counselee (which is our goal), we should avoid trite sayings and shallow slogans. Instead, we need to zealously point weary people to God’s character and promises. We may be tempted to give hope by saying things like, “The odds are in your favor with this diagnosis,” or, “Your kids are just in a rebellious phase.” Those are all sea anchor hopes. Biblical hope sounds more like, “Regardless of the diagnosis, find your hope and rest in Jesus who will be with you even if He has appointed storms of tribulations before you in the days ahead (Matthew 11:28-30),” and “God promises to use your child’s rebellious phase to conform you to Christ. So yes, let’s grieve together and talk about how to parent well, but cast your anchor into the unchanging character of Jesus Christ, and let us look for ways that you can see His loving hand in this (Romans 8:28-39).”
Hope Exemplified
I love that the Bible doesn’t just define hope; it illustrates it in the lives of real people who clung to God in their darkest hours:
- Jeremiah in Lamentations 3 – In the rubble of Jerusalem, and in circumstances of acute despair, Jeremiah calls to mind God’s steadfast love and faithfulness, and he finds hope. Study this passage and then anchor your counselees’ souls to the truths expressed there!
- The psalmist in Psalms 42–43 – Instead of listening to his own despondent feelings, he preaches to himself: “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” Teach your counselees to stop listening to themselves and instead to preach to themselves!
- Paul in 2 Corinthians 4 – Paul was afflicted, perplexed, and persecuted, but not crushed. Why? Because he views suffering in light of eternity: “This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory.” Remind your counselees that not even the smallest detail of their trial is wasted because the Lord will use every aspect of it to prepare us for glory.
So, counselor, study these passages. Look carefully for other passages that describe biblical hope and mark them up in your Bible to be ready to minister hope at a moment’s notice.
Lastly, resolve to never leave a meeting without having once again tethered their soul to the hope we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Giving your counselee a land-anchor-like hope also reminds them that it is God who is the One truly helping and changing them, not you. God has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world, and He is working all things after the counsel of His will so that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:3-14).