You Are My Hope

God my hopeThis morning I began reading the five psalms for the day and I couldn’t get past the first six verses of Psalm 71. Today many people are living without hope and that is because they have placed all their hope in man, primarily themselves. The Psalmist tells us we are to look to the God who is the Rock of our salvation:

    “In You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; incline Your ear to me, and save me. Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.” (Psalm 71:1-6)

I know how exhausted one can get trying to keep up with the rats in the rat race. First of all, get out of the rat race, and more importantly turn to God’s Word when things seem hopeless. It is from God’s Word that we draw strength when we are weary:

    “My soul faints for Your salvation, but I hope in Your word.” (Psalm 119:81)

So how do I actually make hope manifest itself in my life? It is one thing to give Biblical advice, but how does a believer turn advice into action? It is not a mystery to be solved, but a lifestyle to begin:

    “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.” (Psalm 18:1-3)

Did you see it in there? David reveals to us the open secret. I must love God. Oh but I do love God! Yes, I do too, but do I love Him as Christ loved Him and instructed us to love Him?

    “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:15-18)

Times can get so rough that we can feel as though we are orphans in this world. If you are a born again Christian and are not a member of a local church, then you are an orphan because you have no home or family. Get yourself a church home without delay!

But even after you are blessed to find a church home and family that will love you, we must love God through keeping His commandments. Go back and read all of John 14 and see what wonderful instructions with which our Lord left us.

Please understand that in times of trouble we do need a protector, a place of refuge, a mighty fortress that can withstand the onslaught of the evil one and his workers of iniquity. My son’s life verse was Psalm 144:1 (he had it written on the sling of his M4), but I want to share the first two verses of David’s blessed psalm:

    “Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle—my lovingkindness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer, my shield and the One in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me.” (Psalm 144:1-2)

To have hope in God means to have a steadfast confidence in His promises and deliverance in times of need. It is a confidence that makes me courageous in fearful times. It strengthens me beyond all comprehension and understanding. Sometimes, I can’t even describe it other than to attribute it to the Lord Jesus Christ:

    “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” (Psalm 31:24)

That is my encouraging word to you today; be of good courage! Place all your hope in the Lord Jesus Christ and He will strengthen your heart.

Before you can place all your hope in Him, you must first place your faith in Christ for salvation.

Do not delay; do so today. Then you can say, “Lord Jesus, You are my hope.”

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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    Copyright © 2013 David Jeffers

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