July 4th
Hope In God
Psalm 42:5
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
It is inevitable that problems will arise in life. They are unavoidable. They can move us to despair and lead us into depression. They can cut to the depths of our soul making us feel as if we are “cast down”. David was in such a position. The relationship with his son Absalom was in disrepair and he was fleeing for his life. His soul was in anguish. In the Psalm he has a conversation with himself. A dialogue with his soul. An inquisition of his innermost being. He searches for the cause of his sorrows, the source of his misery. He seeks out the malignancy of his soul so he can eradicate it. He relates his anguish to an agitated troubled sea causing tumultuous waves of terror within him. He longs for his “castings down” to turned to “liftings up”, and for his distressed disquieted soul to be calm again.
He realizes that regardless of the depth of his despair there is hope. At the bottom of bewilderment is a beacon of hope. A hope that is settled and secure in the Lord. A hope that burst forth in light in the darkest of nights. A hope that pushes through the roaring waves of despair and the troubled tumultuous seas of disillusionment. It is an unshakable hope that is grounded in an unchangeable God. In this hope our sigh turns to singing, our problems to praise, and our troubled waters to testimonies of saving grace. Here is a solid sure hope that is secure in the sovereign, it is not just any hope, but hope in God. Hope alone has the ability to speak to a disquieted and tumultuous soul and bring clam. And if that hope is fleeting or flickering it is hope enough. For it is not the size of our hope, but the object of our hope. It is hope in Him that brings help to our heartache.
Embedded as a glimmering jewel in hope is the promise of praise again. The present situation often blinds us to the promise of praise. We can’t see the possibility of pushing beyond our predicament. We are trapped in our pit of despair with no deliverance in sight. The darkness has hidden the light. But just because it is hidden from our view, doesn’t diminish its existence. The promise is that “I shall again praise Him”. This is not a vain or hallow hope, but a happy hope of a renewed and revived soul. A hope that exchanges gloom for gladness and despair for delight. The promise is that this present pain will not continue, but be turned into praise. Like David, we must direct our disquieted soul to divert its attention to the divine, charging it to turn to and trust the Lord, to look past its sorrow to the savior; Oh my soul . . . Hope in God.
Today as problems arise, be reminded of your hope. Don’t let the condition of your soul constrain the hope in your heart. Regardless of the magnitude of your misery find hope in God. Direct your soul to hope in the Lord, to delight in God’s promise rather than despair because of your predicament. You will find praise even in the midst of your pain. Sorrows can’t squelch the soul of one whose hope is in God. Thank the Lord for the Hope that you have in Him.
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