10/21/2022
Throughout time the people who live out their lives in this world have been confronted by events that have challenged them as they have struggled to remain hopeful. This place has much beauty, and we can be certain that pleasures and blessings abound in abundance here, but this is also Satan’s present home, and he confronts us daily with hardship and tragedy as he seeks to destroy our faith, and our hope in God. So we struggle each day to maintain our hope, but where does it come from? Our Hope comes from the Lord, and moreover, He is our hope. Do we experience this divine hope?
“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”
Psalm 62:5 ESV
Carnal man would like to think that he alone contains all the hope he needs within his own abilities, and yet the world demonstrates to us that this is not true. Just when we begin to believe we are enough, that the hope in ourselves is sufficient, our hope is dashed. Suddenly we are crippled by illness, the world goes to war, evil erupts, and our children suffer. Suddenly our hope is lost, and we reawaken to the truth that our hope is in God alone, and always has been.
“For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.”
Psalm 71:5-6 ESV
This is a lesson that we each must learn, that every generation finds itself confronted by, and that all of mankind, by its forgetfulness, is destined to face time and time again. By believing in ourselves, and having faith, and hope, in our own abilities, and goodness, we are deceived, until the world collapses about us, and chaos engulfs us. When this happens we find ourselves immersed in hopelessness, and we realize that we are not now, nor were we ever, in control of our lives, or our destiny… and our desperate quest for hope turns us towards God through His Word.
“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
Romans 15:4 ESV
Scripture tells us that God is many things such as love, Word, Good, and yes… Hope. Yet man, with Satan whispering in his ear, turns over and over again towards the world, and his own pride and arrogance, as he seeks to claim these things for himself. However, in each of these attributes of God man fails. Love becomes a love of self, the Word becomes man’s imperfect law, Goodness becomes selfishness, and Hope, becomes spiritual poverty and hopelessness.
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”
Psalm 42:5-6 ESV
So in desperation we turn once more towards God with our bodies, minds, and souls, having been battered and bruised by the world, sin, and the evil that stalked us there. We cry out in prayer for salvation, redemption, and seek true Hope once more in our Heavenly Father’s house. The belief we once thought of as being complete in ourselves has now proven to be insufficient, and was not capable of bringing us the joy and peace we sought… this can only come from the Lord.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Romans 15:13 ESV
Let’s ask ourselves today… Where are we looking as we search for hope in our lives? Where does our Hope truly come from?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the hope we find in you, because you are the fullness of all hope in heaven, and in the world. In you we are never disappointed, and our hope is never left wanting when we turn to you for it. Help us Holy Father to be still, and wait silently for you. Keep us ever hopeful in your goodness, mercy, grace, and love, and when our hope is realized at last, hear us as we call out… Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. Then, in our final judgment, see the image of Jesus in us, and give us the hope of the faithful, and all believers… eternity in your presence, and the fullness of your love, goodness, joy, and peace. Call us worthy, and seat us at your table, that place you made for us, long before we were conceived, and the world was yet to be formed… when our hope in you was found to be perfect, and absolute.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.”
Jeremiah 29:11-12 ESV
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
Hebrews 10:23 ESV
Rich Forbes