"But I will hope. . ."

Psalm 71:14a

Recently I have faced some challenges in my life, both big and small. Some that are just the day to day things that happen, and then others that stare me in the face for what seems like forever and I am given the opportunity to choose how to respond to them.



It was not to long ago that I was sitting in my room talking to the Lord about one of (what I saw as) the "bigger" challenges that I am facing. It was late, and I was reading through some of my favorite Psalms asking the Lord to show me something from His word. Something that I could meditate on as I went to bed, to help quiet my fearful heart.



I love how my Lord is so faithful to know just exactly what I need in moments like that. He didn't whisper in my ear that all was going to be fine. He didn't say, "tomorrow you will wake up and the problem will have resolved itself". Instead, like the wise and loving Father that He is, He gave me these verses...


"But I will hope continually, and I will praise you yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day, for I do not know their limits. I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only." Psalm 71:14-16



My attention was instantly captured by these verses. There's nothing like being reminded of who I serve, to put all my own "problems" in perspective. The Lord then asked me as I was thinking about these verses, "What is your hope in?" And I was reminded of something that the Lord had shown me last Fall when I was faced with another testing period of my life. There was something that I thought the Lord should be doing that He was choosing not to do and I was very frustrated about it to say the least. I had been thinking about the verse in Proverbs that says "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes it is a tree of life". It was at that time that the Lord asked me what my hope was in. Because if my hope was in Him, then there would never be a reason for my hope to be deferred. And just as he asked me then, He now was asking me again, "Jessica, what is your hope in?" As I thought about it I knew it wasn't in Him, my Savior, because if it was I would be responding to these situations in a whole different manner. I was sickened as I realized that the way I was responding to these situations that He had hand picked to place in my life was in no way bringing Him the honor and glory He deserves.



The first four words in those verses especially caught my attention, "But I will hope. . ." I love that word, "but". It leaves so much room for everything that has gone on before. You can only imagine what David (the assumed writer of this Psalm) is thinking, I am being chased by a mad king who wants to kill me. . ."But I will hope". My kingdom has just just been snatched from my hands by my own son. . ."But I will hope". I have sinned so greatly in the eyes of a perfect and holy God, I can never be restored to Him. . ."But I will hope". There is no situation so big that it is not covered in that "But". So what am I hoping in? That my own strength and resources are going to be able to see me through? That I am just going to "grin and bear it", and at some point it will get better?



No, I now have realized a different option. . ."I will hope". When, and for how long will I hope? "Continually". Starting now, and never stopping. But most importantly, Who will I hope in? My Ever Faithful God, my Abba Father, the Friend that sticks closer than a brother, El Shaddai-the God who satisfies, the one and only person who has given His life for mine and therefore is worthy of my utmost devotion.



So now, the problems are still there, when I wake up tomorrow they will probably all still be there, maybe with even some new ones thrown into the mix. But, now I am striving by the grace of God to face those same challenges with a new strength, because I will never know the limits of the resources of My Great God.



"And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You."
Psalm 39:7