Hope
Hope. This simple yet
powerful word has come up quite a bit these past few days in my circle of
friends and colleagues. Struggles with
relationships either ending or being strained, not knowing what the future
holds for sick loved ones, and for a military acquaintance, the fear of death
in a foreign land. All of these real life worries yearn and deeply cry for
hope. If you’ve read my other posts this may seem redundant, but hope, true
unadulterated, ever-present, and lasting hope can ONLY be found in Jesus, in
his steadfast love and promise to shepherd and protect us, leading us to
everlasting life with him.
Psalm 23 paints a poignant picture of this hope in times of
fear and uncertainty.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still
waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of
righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
The first line says it all, that because God is with us, and
I mean truly with us in the fact that when Jesus ascended into Heaven, we were
given the Holy Spirit, we shall have no want or worries. God cares for us so deeply and intimately
that he promises provision. The next few
verses show just that, that the rest he offers and requires us to take is
healing and redemptive. Take a moment to
find that pasture, those still waters in your life. Picture yourself in a meadow on a warm summer
day with the sun’s rays gently resting on your skin. Let the sweet fresh scent
of the waters fill your nostrils as you rest in the presence of Jesus. Let him lead you, as the verse says, “in
paths of righteousness.” This path is the best for your life, the best hope in
finding peace now and forever. It will not be easy because of the temptations,
strains, and evil that exists in this world, for Jesus also tells us that, “the
gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter
by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life,
and those who find it are few,” (Matthew 7:13-14) but it will be the most
fulfilling and rewarding.
Finally, for those in fear of either the future or of death
fear not, God is with you. While lying
on my cot in Baghdad with enemy mortar rounds landing nearby, I prayed
fervently for safety. However, this was prayer from fear, which is fine, but
what we need is prayer from faith.
David, the author of this psalm, although in danger chose to relinquish
fear knowing that God was with him.
Today, give that fear away in exchange for hope. Kneel at the foot of the cross where Jesus’
blood was spilled, so that we can have an unbroken relationship with God. Accept his sacrifice fully, understanding that
he is the way, the truth and the life.
That no one can enter into relationship with the Father, but through
him.
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