LORD, for the godly man ceases to be,
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
They speak falsehood to one another;
With flattering lips and with a double heart they speak.
Psalm 12:1-2 NASB
In June of 1994, Melinda and I experienced a breach in a very important relationship and our trust was shattered. There’s no need to share details. We were simply wounded emotionally and felt hurt. To add insult to injury, a month later, in mid-July, our twin baby boys (Asa and Ezra) were born 9 weeks prematurely and my wife (Melinda) was nearly taken from us after the births, when her liver began to bleed profusely. I was emotionally shattered and drained, and I remember by the time September came, we were in need of some hope – and rest.
But just what is hope? According to mankind’s way of thinking, hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. God’s definition of hope is similar to a degree. As believers, we put our hope on and in God. This means we wait on God and HIs timing and expect God to be Who He says He is! We expect God to do what is best for us, His children.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12 NASB
When we view life - and hope - from the world’s point of view, we leave ourselves vulnerable to the lies of the enemy and to endless disappointment. The opposite off hope is despair - hopelessness - and placing our hope in the strength and wisdom of man always ends in failure and endless fear and worry. Sin and the lies of the enemy see to it that our lives are constantly being tested and our trust in God is continually attacked, but we are not without hope! Why is that? Because our God is Faithful and True and tells us in Matthew 6 that He meets all our needs from food, and clothing, to shelter and safety. His love for us casts out fear and shoulders the burdens we tend to carry…if we let Him. He meets our deepest need: to know and to be known. And on top of all that, He does not waste one single part of the journey of our life. He uses our pain and our sorrow and our suffering and our fear for our good and for His glory. Knowing that helps alleviate worry and crushes fear. Our hope is in knowing Jesus.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:1-5 NASB
It is in the living out of our faith that God causes all things to work together for our good. It is in seeing life from our God’s perspective that we discover the reality of this truth: that God uses even our tribulations to give us HOPE! That is amazing…and comforting…and healing…and life to our soul.
Psalm 42:1-5 says it like this:
As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
While [they] say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"
These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go along with the throng [and] lead them in procession to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And [why] have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him
[For] the help of His presence.
Believers, our hope is in God and God does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Let’s simply keep our eyes fixed on our Hope - Jesus - and walk in joy in spite of our circumstances, in spite of wounded hearts and broken trust. Jesus is our Hope!
Dennis Jernigan
To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast on this subject and to hear the song Hope In God, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/hope-in-god-1607445295/
Photo courtesy of https://pixabay.com/photos/hope-word-letters-2046018/