This week the calendar year becomes 2013! It is an opportune time to evaluate who or what you look to for hope. Be truthful when answering this question. Is your hope placed in a man, a political party or a candidate? Perhaps your hope is in your parents, a friend, money, medicine, or a doctrine?
The principle of having your hope in God is so essential to life’s journey.
Placing your hope in God is a decision, a choice of your free will.
Most of us have lost hope at some time in our life due to hardships, broken relationships, loss of jobs, loved ones, etc. Losing hope is very disheartening and can catapult you into a dark pit of depression.
The Bible has much to say about putting your hope in God. Let’s look at some of these scriptures and gain insight from them:
1. Proverbs 13:12 — “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.”
You’ve heard the expression, “He (or she) is heartsick.” Has that ever been said about you? If so, then you have experienced this horrible emotion. Losing hope and staying in that mindset, according to this scripture, can literally affect your physical heart and bring sickness. God has a healing path for all of us when we place our hope in Him.
God promises He will watch over you if you put your hope in Him.
2. Psalm 33:18 –“Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him,
upon them that hope in his mercy;”…
God, Who is the source of mercy waits for us to ask for His mercy. When you believe that God is truly merciful, then your request for His mercy is based on that hope – the hope that believes in His Word and His goodness.
Psalm 33:22—“Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.”
3. In Bible times, David, a man after God’s heart, experienced many frightening challenges and life-threatening situations.
David knew how to encourage himself in the Lord. David talked to himself! He practiced reminding himself of the goodness and faithfulness of the God He had always known.
Psalm 42:5—“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.”
David verbally declared that he would always put his trust in God alone. That is the key to victory in our lives. It’s really simple – just believe God and His Word and that God is not a man that He can lie. God is always true to His Word. David was convinced that God alone was trustworthy. Follow David’s example and put your hope in God. You, too, will be delivered from hopelessness and have the tools to resist this debilitating state of mind.
4. What should you do when you feel like running away in search of a safe place to hide?
Well, the Bible has the answer to that as well! That safe place is found in the Lord’s presence. Run to Jesus, He is always there for you.
Most of you are familiar with Psalm 91 which talks about dwelling in the secret place – in shadow of the Almighty and under His wings. Yes, even the hope of a safe dwelling place is found in God.
Psalm 119:114 — “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.”
5. David abandoned himself to God in praise and worship.
This is a wonderful example for all of us. David’s path to victory over fear, terror and hopelessness was to place his trust in Almighty God. At times David even wondered where God was, but he always ended his conversation with God by giving Him glory. David offered praise to God in the midst of his trials.
Psalm 71:14 – “But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.”
Let’s have the same determination David had – to increase our praise level and never stop hoping – placing that hope (of course) in the Lord.
6. God desires that we be FULL of hope according to:
Romans 15:13 —“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Jesus described us as the light of the world. The hope we have in God and His goodness can be contagious to others! Many who are suffering today have given up hope of things ever being better. They desperately need a word of encouragement. You can be the person used by God to usher in the hope for their situation. Ask the Lord to use you in this way and He will give you divine encounters.
If we steadfastly believe in the Lord and His Word, we will be full of joy and peace because God’s promises are true and everlasting. How can we continually believe and be full of this joy and peace? The answer is found in the book of Romans.
Romans 15:13— “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Perhaps you are already a believer in Christ but you have been discouraged and are struggling to regain hope. If so, then recommit to put your hope in God alone and His Word. Allow the peace and joy of the Lord to permeate every part of your being.
And if you don’t know the Lord, I invite you today to receive Jesus, the Son of God and Risen King as your Savior and Lord – your only hope of eternal life.
John 3:16–17 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
You are special and God loves you – so put your hope in Him!
I have included a special song “My Hope is in You” sung by Aaron Shust.