WALK IN HOPE

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? HOPE in GOD, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance” – Psalm 42:5

To Walk in God’s Way is to WALK IN HOPE: “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? HOPE in GOD, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance” (Psa.42:5). That was David preaching to his own soul, getting his Hope Up in times of turmoil. The same exclamation is written in Psalm 42:11 and 43:5, perhaps to reinforce the significance of Hope. The Psalms 42 starts with the verse, “As a deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (vv.1-2). There was a longing in the Psalmist to be with God. He felt distant from God, overwhelmed, downcast, and low in spirit. Like David, when our soul is downcast, it is good to say to our soul, “There is Hope”! That’s a key step in Walking in Hope. But what is Hope?

The dictionary describes Hope as: “to want something to happen or to be true.” The Christian’s Hope is however much more than just to want something good to happen or be true. Living Hope is a confident expectation of something that will come to pass or will be shown to be true, because God has revealed or promised it. The Believer’s Hope is different than that of the world. It is not wishful thinking. It is not based on carnal desires or wants. This Hope is fuelled by meditating – prayerful and purposeful reasoning – in God’s Word for meaning and answers, knowing that He is sovereign over all things and that He loves us. Hope is fundamental to Faith: “faith is the substance of things hoped for…” (Heb.11:1). No Faith without Hope!

Hope is based on a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our True Hope: “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb.6: 19-20). The Lord Jesus Christ is our Anchor of security in every storm and Anchor of rest in calm waters – the anchor that is both “sure and steadfast.” That means we can have confidence in our walk, anchored in Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2). We walk IN HOPE because we are IN CHRIST and continue in His Knowledge, the revelation of which comes from the Word of God.

Walking with God involves relating with Him as we journey along life’s path to our final destination, Heaven. On this journey, we walk in Love, by Faith, and in Hope. Without Hope, our walk of Faith will falter. Without Hope, we’ll likely wander away from walking with God. Without Hope, despair will set in. Hope is absolutely necessary to fully live in the Joy of the Lord. And God, in His Love and Faithfulness, has given us all that we need to have Hope in every step we take on our way home.

Believers in Christ have received the Ministry of Hope. 1 Peter 3:15a speaks of the responsibility to share our Hope: “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the HOPE that IS IN YOU” (1Pet.3:15a). That verse also tells us how to share our hope: “with meekness and fear” – with gentleness and respect. In doing so, we “sanctify the Lord” – we set Him apart and we magnify Him as Lord. As we reverence the Lord in our hearts and by our lives, He’ll empower us by His Spirit to abound and WALK in HOPE: “Now may the GOD of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may ABOUND in HOPE  by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13). May we not fail or fall as we WALK IN HOPE!