Hope Amid Adversity

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” —Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV

I had always hoped someone would come forward and purchase our vocational nursing school. Several people had inquired, hoping to acquire the school for free. I asked the Lord if it was His will for us to just give it up and walk away with nothing.

What about all the start-up expenses, time, and intellectual effort expended in meeting the academic requirements needed for approvals? Then a sweet Voice said, “Wait patiently; there is better yet to come.” But instead, adversity came! COVID-19 dramatically affected our enrollment and instructional methodology, which resulted in financial depletion. Amazingly, we survived but struggled financially moving forward. We found being able to survive amid adversity was God’s way of fulfilling His promise that He would not fail or forsake us.

As we wait and hope for the right person to buy the school, we are courageously moving the school forward, training vocational nursing students who will eventually work in the health care field and make a difference in the world. I am reminded of the following statement: “Hope is a powerful force that can drive us to overcome even the most difficult of circumstances. It is the belief that things can get better, that we can overcome adversity, and that a brighter future is possible. . . . Hope gives us the strength and resilience to keep going, to keep fighting, and to keep believing in ourselves and each other.”* Knowing God is in every detail of our lives, we placed our trust in Him, and we gained peace—for God is in control.

He will fulfill His promise: “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ ” ( Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). My prayer for each one of us is that we will keep trusting and hoping in the Lord, even amid adversity, for adversity can shape us and make us strong and courageous.

Edna Bacate Domingo

* Sumit Khade, “Hope: The Power to Overcome Adversity,” LinkedIn, March 13, 2023, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hope-power-overcome-adversity-sumit-khade.