“Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.” Psalm 119:114
We live in a crazy world; one that is unsettling, dangerous, unreliable. Because of this, people are always reaching out for something to give them hope. Hope for peace and safety. Hope for financial security. Hope for good health. Hope for a better tomorrow.
Some things in which people place their hope are the stock market, upcoming elections, a new medication, advanced education, or a lottery ticket. Some hopes are “pie-in-the-sky” hopes, while other hopes are acts of desperation, manifested by risky behaviors. None of these “hopes” are guaranteed. They are “crossed-fingers” hopes. They are man-centered hopes.
We need a God-centered hope. We need the hope founded upon God’s word. A hope that is real and unfailing. Biblical hope is the only hope on which we can depend, and here are some reasons why.
*The Word of God is eternal. “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” 1 Peter 1:25
*The Word of God is powerful. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
*The Word of God is truth. “Thy word is truth.” John17:17
*The Word of God is life. “And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Luke 4:4
*The Word of God is purposeful. “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11
*The Word of God is wisdom. “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:15
*The Word of God is Jesus. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
When you need hope, you can find it in the pages of Scripture. The words you read are those that have come from the mouth of God. His words are hope because they are built upon a foundation that is unshakeable. Hope that has a foundation of sand is not hope; it is wishful thinking. Hope must be built on solid rock. Unshakeable, unmovable, unwavering. That hope is only found in God. “The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.” 2 Samuel 22:47
That’s the hope we need. That’s the hope we find in Jesus and His Word. (1 Corinthians 10:4)
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
(from “The Solid Rock” by Edward Mote)
“Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.” Psalm 31:24
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