• Source Of Hope

    By: Kristen L. McNulty

    Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.

    "You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope." Psalm 119:114


    Reading this Psalm struck me as I started to ask myself. What is my source of hope? Is it always God and His Word? Or do I try to find hope in other things?

    Sadly enough when looking back on my life I found that over the years I've put my hope in a lot of other things. In my education to secure my future. In my bank account to provide for my needs. In relationships to make me feel connected and whole. In fact it was only when the circumstances of my life took away the opportunity to complete my education, drained my bank account and placed turbulent relationships in my life, did I seek refuge and find hope in the place I should have found it all along: in God.

    Putting Hope In Temporary Things


    So how about you, what is the source of your hope? Have you ever found yourself putting your hope in the things of this world rather than the treasure we've been given in who God is? The Bible teaches us that the things of this earth are merely temporary things that will come and go or fade away. And instead of looking to them to provide us with hope or life or joy, we need to look to God and God alone. As the Psalmist recorded in Psalm 39:

    "Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
    Remind me that my days are numbered—
    how fleeting my life is.
    You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
    My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
    at best, each of us is but a breath.
    We are merely moving shadows,
    and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
    We heap up wealth,
    not knowing who will spend it.
    And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
    My only hope is in you." Psalm 39:4-7


    God Knows Us Inside and Out


    Just like it would be foolish to bring a broken car for repair to your accountant, it's foolish for us to look to anything for our hope other than our Maker and Creator. He knows our souls inside out and loves us so very much. He wants us to pursue the kind of relationship with Him where we run to Him in good times and bad and turn to Him alone for our fulfillment, strength and hope.

    So what does hoping in God look like in a practical sense? Well the dictionary defines hope as: "to expect with confidence". In my eyes it looks like trusting with confidence that God is going to see us through and looking to Him in every situation instead of the things of this earth.

    Our Hope In Him Alone


    The psalmist captured it well in Psalm 22. Let this be our prayer and reality on a day by day basis:

    "We put our hope in the Lord.
    He is our help and our shield.
    In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
    Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
    for our hope is in you alone." Psalm 22:20-22


    Hanging By A Thread


    Closing with a word of caution from Beth Moore:

    "Notice the word 'hope' (in Psalm 62:5). The Hebrew term literally means 'a cord, as an attachment.' Every one of us is hanging on to something or someone for security. ... if it's someone or something other than God alone, you're hanging on by a thread – the wrong thread." (Beth Moore)

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