My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:5-8
As I sat to write this week’s post, I must admit that while I generally knew where I wanted to go with the topic, I was at a loss as to how to start. For inspiration I decided to search for a definition of hope. I was saddened by what I saw. The synonyms for the first meaning were all tentative words like aspiration, desire and wish. The secondary definition was “a feeling of trust”. That was some improvement, but expressed little certainty and was labeled “archaic”. Only after I expanded the search within this source did I find the words: promise, conviction and assurance. Further, the site also provided the graph that showed that the use of the word hope in the 1800s was much greater than in our current century. While I can’t speak to the accuracy of the information provided, I would consider it to be consistent with what I sense around me. As society moves away from God to self-sufficiency, we are clearly losing our sense of hope. Undoubtedly a lack of faith in God would dilute one’s hopefulness as the trials of life buffet the soul, but even many Christians with whom I have come into contact seem to be uncertain as well. I believe that this is the result of two issues. First, many fail to look for God at work on a day to day basis; and when they do, they compare what God provides to their finite expectations rather than the greater picture. Secondly, they seem to forget that developing hope is progressive over course of our lives. As we read the psalms of David, the message is clear: God is faithful and the proper response is trust and praise. Psalm 62 points to five certain reasons to put our hope in God: He has the power, He is our protector, He is our savior, He loves us and we have been told.
“Power belongs to God”; He owns it. (Psalm 62:11) Let that sit for a minute and consider all that this entails. Job 26:14, Romans 11:33 and 1 Corinthians 13:12 remind us that in this life we cannot fully appreciate God’s attributes. While that is true, we can comprehend that He is sovereign and that He cannot be threatened or thwarted in any way. The book of Genesis teaches us that He created the universe out of nothing. Job 38-41 speaks of His power, wisdom and control of all things on earth and in the heavens. Christ tells us in Matthew in 19:26 that “all things are possible with God”. Our very existence is lovingly sustained by His power. The strength that He has ordained for us, no matter how great or small whether spiritual, physical, or emotional is a gift from Him. Understanding God’s power in all situations and how it is already pervasive in our lives is a principal basis for our hope.
God is our protector. David confidently states this because every time God delivered him, he took note and credited none other than his Lord for deliverance. He did not have an easy life. It was full of trials, but He trusted God to work for his good and expected to praise God in the end. The resolution of each event provided a greater level of trust for the next. Additionally, not only is God our advocate and guardian, but He protects us as a fortress, shelter and refuge. These descriptors are strong words. Proverbs 18:10 tells us “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe.” “Running into God” is not just fleeing to Him, but is yielding to His wisdom and His will trusting that the circumstance will be resolved for our good. When we consider that God is both our guardian and our fortress, we add another layer to our assurance and ability to hope in Him.
God is our Savior. First, in Christ we have been redeemed from sin and cleansed by His perfect sacrifice. Acts 4:12 reminds us that not only is He our savior, but He is our only savior. There is none other in which we should hope. But the work does not stop there. Once we accept Him as our savior, even our trials are redeemed and reborn into victories and ministries. When we understand this, we can, like David, expect that even the darkest events of our lives will result in praising our God for His sustaining grace and what He has accomplished through them despite seemingly impossible odds. This is another keystone to our hope.
God loves us. In fact, in 1 John 4:8 we’re told that “God is Love.” He is the very definition of the word. In love God created us. In love Christ died for us. In love the Father called us to be His children. In love the Holy Spirit comforts us and intercedes for us. In love He has sent people and events into our lives to help and encourage us. In love He protects and defends us. Romans 8:35-39 explains that God will not allow anything to separate us from His love. There is no reason to doubt that fact no matter what we are facing. When God’s love is layered onto His power, protection and redemption our hope should swell allowing us to easily trust Him to care for us.
We have been told. God has explained through His word that He is a powerful, protective, saving, loving God. It is revealed in nature. It has been established again and again through the events portrayed in scripture. It has been demonstrated in our own lives. Consider also as Matthew Henry cautions, that what God tells us must be listened to not only with our ears, but also with our mind and soul. We have been given the freedom to decide what we will believe. Will we be like the Israelites who were not wholly devoted to God and turned away from Him when life’s challenges faced them or will we be like David who with “an undivided heart” trusted God completely in all circumstances and expected to praise God for deliverance in the end? It is that choice that determines that strength of our hope.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 says “The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” While I can attest to ways that God has defended me from various threats throughout my life, I consider His protection of my relationship with Him and my soul from destruction to be the key sources of hope. His power is so vast that He is able to employ my illness to shield me from myself by using it to draw me closer to Him. I urge you to read through Psalm 62 and fully appreciate all of its reminders. Don’t focus on the trials that face you but rather “trust Him at all times” and humbly “pour out your heart to Him”. Confidently hope in Him and look for rescue with anticipation and praise for He is powerful, He is your protector, He is your savior and He loves you with an unfailing love.
Psalm 62
My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken. How long will you assail a man, that you may murder him, all of you, like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence? They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position; they delight in falsehood; they bless with their mouth, but inwardly they curse. My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah. Men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than breath. Do not trust in oppression and do not vainly hope in robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart upon them. Once God has spoken; twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God; and lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord, for You recompense a man according to his work.