Give your love of justice to the king, O God,
    and righteousness to the king’s son.
Psalm 72:1 (NLT)

Let us hope in God’s Son, Jesus.

In our culture we put our hope in many things. A strong economy. A decent paycheck. A retirement plan. Higher Education. National healthcare. Military might.

We might put our hope in others. Our parents. Our spouse. Friends. Coworkers. Church leaders. We expect them to be there when we need them. We assume they can help us with any problem we have or whatever crisis we face.

But all too often these things or those we care about fail us.

The economy may tank. A job can be lost. A retirement plan can loose its value. Higher education may result in loans to repay but not guarantee a good job. National healthcare can turn out to be not all its advertised to be. And our military might may not always be able to ensure our safety at home and abroad.

If our hope is in these things, we may be sorely disappointed.

Those we love are fallible. They may not have the answers or may let us down. They may not be able to be there when we need them. They may be more of a hinderance than a help. Or they may even be the cause of our problem or crisis.

If our hope is in others, we may be sorely disappointed.

What have you been putting your hope in lately? In what ways have you been disappointed or devastated over something you hoped in/for?

Scripture exhorts us to put our hope in God alone.

The Psalmist says: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Ps 42:11, NIV)

and “Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.” (Psalm 146:5, NIV)

The prophets, Jeremiah and Micah, cry out “It is you, Lord our God… our hope is in you,” (Jeremiah 14:22, NIV) “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” (Micah 7:7, NIV)

Paul, in his letter to the Romans, knows this hope does not disappoint. “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Romans 5:5, NLT)

He also reminds us of the source of our hope. “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13, NLT)

How do we do this? How do we hope? Through the Son, of course.

Paul went on to say “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” (Romans 5:6, NLT)

It is because of Christ we have hope.

“As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(1 Thessalonians 1:3, NLT)

And Peter tells us in his letter “Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.” (1 Peter 1:21, NLT)

And what should we do with this hope?

Peter has some additional advice in his letter. “Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.” 1 Peter 3:15-16, NLT)

It matters where we place our hope. Let’s put it where it belongs.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, may I always remain confident in my hope in Christ, because I know in him, I will never be disappointed. I confess, lately, my hope has been in __________ and if it has not failed me yet, some day it will. Instead, I will hope in you, the One who delivers, and in my Savior, Jesus. Amen.

Grace and Peace

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