Psalms of the Ascents: Hope in the Right Thing

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Psalm 131:3

Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
both now and forever.

(CSB)

Hope is an interesting word for while none of us desires living a hopeless live, the power of hope resides in what one places their hope in.  Candidate Barack Obama ran for President in 2008 on a message of hope and change.  A nation starved for hope after a protracted war on terrorism and an economic recession made Obama the nation’s 44^th President, placing their hope on his delivering changes the nation needed.  However, after eight years of an Obama Presidency, the administration was big on change, but offered little hope.  (1) 

People also place their hope in great riches evidenced by the millions playing the lottery.  Most do not approach the lottery as an investment plan and instead buy a lottery ticket with the hope it will materialize into great riches, understanding that it is gambling with the odds stacked against them.  (2)  However, people do invest in markets, real estate, and business with the hope this will materialize into a retirement nest egg, only to see their hopes dashed during the next economic downturn. 

People also place their hope in relationships with the expectation this person is the one they will spend the rest of their life with.  The alarming percentage of marriages ending in divorce demonstrates how these initial hopes end when one discovers the flaws in the one they believed was the one.  However, there is a relationship that is perfect and will never fail us. 

We all have sinned, with death being the sentence on all who sin (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23).  While this presents a hopeless situation for all humanity, there is hope in the fact that Jesus, a sinless man, offered himself as payment for our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Through a relationship with Jesus Christ we have hope that,

1)      Rescues us from death (Romans 5:12-21) – God’s death sentence on humanity was satisfied with the substitutionary death of Jesus on the Cross for us with belief in Jesus as our savior providing eternal life (John 3:16).  This hope is what motivated the Apostle Paul to boldly ask death where is your victory and sting (1 Corinthians 15:55). 

2)      Sustains us through struggles (John 16:33) – Jesus did not promise a life free of trouble but a life with Him at our side, even through death (Psalm 23:4).  Hope in anything other than God is hope that will fail and disappoint us.  However, hope in God, even though it comes with trouble, has eternal rewards.

3)      Is supported by God’s Word (1 Samuel 15:29) – Since God cannot lie, we can have confidence what his promises in the Bible will come true.  This is unlike those promising an investment is secure, only to discover later they misrepresented the security of the investment as someone loses their wealth.  Likewise, one may promise to remain faithful in a relationship, only to be unfaithful when someone looking better comes along. 

4)      Is supported by the power of God (Romans 8:11) – Our human minds cannot fathom the power necessary to raise up Jesus from the dead after the brutal death by crucifixion he suffered.  However, this same power is in those that have accepted Jesus as savior, giving hope to overcome any obstacle in our path. 

If you want hope that rescues from death, sustains through struggles, backed by absolute truth, and powered by the power that resurrected Jesus from the dead, it is necessary to establish a relationship with Jesus Christ.  If you do now already have such a relationship, I encourage you to pray with me now,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

I encourage those that just prayed to feed this hope through study of the Bible, prayer, and finding a church teaching the Bible.  Temptations will still come to place hope in something else over hope in God, but we must be diligent in resisting these temptations for they will eventually fail, bringing frustration.  May God bring hope to all reading this. 

1. Lightman, David. Obama delivered big on change, less so on hope. www.seattletimes.com. [Online] The Seattle Times, January 14, 2017. [Cited: September 3, 2018.] https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/obama-delivers-on-change-but-hope-is-fading/.

2. Cuillebeau, Cjhris. HOPE, EXPECTATIONS, AND WINNING THE LOTTERY. www.chrisguillebeau.com. [Online] Chris Guillebeau. [Cited: September 3, 2018.] https://chrisguillebeau.com/hope-expectations-lottery/.