...trusting HOPE and doing good...

There are many occasions in the Psalms where HOPE in the Lord is front and center. Let’s spend a few days considering some of these Psalms, and how they speak to us of HOPE in Jesus Christ, the Lord.

“I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodnessin the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord, take courage;be stouthearted, wait for the Lord” Psalm 27:13-14!

“Do not fret because of the wicked;do not be envious of wrongdoers,for they will soon fade like the grass,and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.Take delight in the Lord,and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;trust in Him, and He will act.He will make your vindication shine like the light,and the justice of your cause like the noonday” Psalm 37:1-6.

In Psalm 27 we see the link between being patient with the Lord — waiting for the Lord — and our HOPE in the Lord. The Lord doesn’t live in time. He created time for us, for our lives. So give the Lord time to show you why you should be “courageous and stouthearted” with the Lord. HOPE in the Lord and the Psalmist reminds us that we “shall see the Lord’s goodness.”

Don’t be quick with the Lord. HOPE in the Lord includes patience with the Lord. The Lord will give us our daily bread, so HOPE in Him. Be patient in the Lord. Hope allows us to “wait for the Lord “ (Psalm.27:14).

When I lived in Africa during a tremendous famine and drought, those who were suffering displayed enormous courage and strong hearts, knowing that their HOPE in the Lord would never disappoint. They waited for the Lord, knowing that His ways are not our ways. They constantly reassured me and themselves that “Mungu Yupo” — that God is present. Their HOPE in the Lord was anchored in the Lord.

Do the same, dear friends, do the same. Wait in HOPE for the Lord. Trust Him!

And then consider Psalm 37, where we are encouraged to HOPE in the Lord by “trusting in the Lord, and doing good.” This is some of the best Christian advice, some of the best Christian counsel, I have ever heard. If you want to know why it is so important to HOPE in the Lord, consider this: To HOPE in the Lord empowers us by the grace of God to “trust in the Lord and do good” (Psalm 37:3). When you TRUST God, you HOPE in God! When you DO GOOD, you HOPE is in the Lord.

It is no wonder that the Apostle Paul pointed out this central truth of Christianity: “13 And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three, and the greatest of these is love”

1 Corinthians 13:13. The three greatest things in life are faith, hope, and love, and HOPE is one of the greatest gifts of God.

Take time today and consider your HOPE in the Lord. Pray for deeper HOPE more than ever!

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.