Place of Our Hope
“Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked… But delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night.”
Psalm 1:1a, 2
In the very first Psalm the tone of the Book, and in fact the whole of the Christian life, is set — blessed is the one who follows not the wicked but rather the one who delights in the law of the Lord. One can either choose good or evil, not both. One can either choose God or the enemy. Naturally one would want to choose good and for the Christian one would want to choose God, but as life would have it and as a consequence of sin, the choice in practicality is not always easy.
Because of the evil one and sin our good intentions and efforts may sometimes result in bad decisions and actions. When we become attached to things in a way that is unhealthy or disordered any good that we may have wanted to do may be undermined. As a human race, we have become attached to sin, sometimes not even seeing it or realizing it. But it is not just happening now. It has been happening for a long time, back to the time of Adam and Eve. When the Prophets tried to get the people to go back on track, they rejected them and even killed them, but sometimes they did listen. The Israelites soon realized that when the listened to God and lived out His commandments they were strong and healthy and happy. However, when they complained against God, made false idols, and strayed away from God, they found themselves weak and overpowered by enemies. In other words when they placed their hope in God, life was good, but when they placed their hope in themselves or even in their adversaries, life was turbulent and endangered. For God is life, and without God there is no life.
Where do we place our hope? Do we entrust our lives to God? To others? To ourselves? Where is the place of our hope? Only when we place our hope in Someone and not something, will we find ourselves peaceful in the midst of trials, joyful in the midst of sorrow, and grateful in the midst of tragedy. Because this Someone is not limited, bound by space or time, but rather eternal, all-powerful, and unchanging, our hope can be assured. When we place our hope in something that is not eternal, like the things we may sometimes place our security in — our jobs, our own means and possessions, and even other people — once those things go or change, our hope will be shaken and our lives questioned. But if we ground, root, and place our hope in the One who is eternal and unchanging, even when things around us crumble and fall, and even when we ourselves stumble and fall, we will be caught, held, and protected in the hands of God. So, brothers and sisters, where is the place of your hope?
