The Word of Hope
Have you ever considered what you hope in? What we trust in, or hope in, is usually revealed in times of distress. When times of trouble come, do you have great anxiety about your health, safety, future? If you do, then God has exposed a false hope, or idol of the heart. God has revealed that our hope in Him has been supplanted by hope in something or someone else. Our hope is in God or it is in the idols of our hearts.
In the midst of troubling circumstances the psalmist prays and hopes in God (119:41-48). He asks for God to save him according to His word. Even in the midst of troubles, the psalmist lives his life in the freedom that comes from trusting in the sovereignty of God (119:45). His hope is based on the truth of the word of God (119:45). This is because has internalised God’s truth: he has “trusted” (119:41), “obeyed” (119:44), “sought” (119:45), and “loved” (119:47-48) God’s word. This internalisation of the word of God produces a boldness to proclaim truth to the world (119:46).
Brethren, our hope should be fully in our Lord Jesus Christ. In order to hope in Him we must know Him, know His works, and know His will; all revealed to us in His word. Christ has promised us eternal life (John 3:16), and security in Him (Rom 8:35-36), not wealth, health, and happiness. By God’s grace He blessed us with many good things (both spiritual blessings and material goods). If we are not careful the things that we enjoy can become the very things that we place our trust and hope on. Delighting in God’s word is the key to a growing faith and a settled hope (119:47-48).