“WE WAIT IN HOPE FOR THE LORD”

Psalm 33: 20-22 “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”[1] There are so many directions we could take with this passage of scripture; the Lord has given me three key points He wants me to share with you:

First is the fact that God serves as our “help and our shield” when we put our faith and hope in Him. “We wait in hope for the LORD” should be our prayer and focus as Followers of Jesus Christ. This world is not our home so if we have gotten too comfortable in this world we probably need to do some self-analysis and/or get with an accountability partner and talk it out. While Satan has dominion in this world, we have something greater than the enemy’s power; and that is the One that has already overcome this world, Jesus Christ!

The Prophet Isaiah tells us “Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”[2] This is one of the essential reasons that we know we should wait in hope for the LORD.  Our God never grows tired or weary and His understanding no one can fathom.  Even the most understanding of human beings reaches a point in a given situation where they say “I JUST DON”T UNDERSTAND!”  Praise His Name that God has understanding that surpasses all understanding.

God is our provider and that includes when we are weary and weak. He not only knows what we need but supplies it as well. It is in these moments that we must turn to Him because this is when we are most vulnerable to Satan’s devious ploys and tricks.  Peter tells us “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” [3] While the enemy may be prowling to find his next victim, we have the ability to defend ourselves as Peter describes “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.   Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”[4]  We don’t have to be victimized by anxiety which leads to weariness and fatigue but we are able to cast our cares, concerns, and struggles on the One who has the power and ability to lift us up according to His timing.

Second, this passage says “for we trust in his holy name.” It is by faith that we accept God’s offer of grace and as that relationship grows and matures our trust and reliance upon Him grows. It is by this faith and trust that allows us to accomplish the first point (which is to “wait in hope for the LORD” and to know with confidence that He is our “help and our shield.”).  The Psalmist tells us “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.   As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.”[5]  Too often we allow our connection to the physical world supersede our connection to the spiritual world.  If we are not careful, we can be drawn into trusting a person more than we trust God.  Because we can see something with our physical eyes we are drawn to it like bugs to a light — yet so often that attraction leads us away from God’s plan for our lives and draws into the world view and the world’s behavior.

Trust is about letting our spiritual eyes be our guide and our trust in the LORD is the only thing that matters!  There’s an old hymn that says “trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”[6] We must trust in His holy name and obey His guidance and direction for our lives. This is why the Holy Spirit must be trusted as our one and only guide through life’s many challenges, trials, and yes, even our victories. It is through our relationship with the Holy Spirit that we grow in our faith and trust in what God has in store for us.

Third, and this last point is so powerful and so extremely important you should remember it always. God’s love is unfailing! When the devil and his minions are trying their best to convince us that we are all alone and defenseless, we have to rely on what we know in our heart and that is God’s love is unfailing and the fact that He will never leave or forsake us. There is a Contemporary Christian song out entitled “ONE THING REMAINS” and the chorus says:

“Your love never fails it never gives up it never runs out on me.
Your love never fails, it never gives up It never runs out on me.
Your love never fails; it never gives up your love your love. Never gives up on me.
And it’s higher than the mountains that I face
And it’s stronger than the power of the grave.
And constant in the trial and the change this one thing remains.”[7]

Remember, Jesus has already overcome this world! When we have a personal heart relationship with Jesus Christ we are victors even in the most difficult of circumstances. That doesn’t mean it will be easy or without challenge but it does mean that we have the power to and can claim victory in the midst of life’s storms because we have Jesus on our side!  “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.   Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”[8]

[1] All scripture used in this article is taken from the NIV translation of the Holy Bible unless otherwise noted.
[2] Isaiah 40:28-29
[3] 1 Peter 5:8
[4] 1 Peter 5:6
[5] Psalm 125:1-2
[6] Trust and Obey, lyrics written by John H. Sammis and music written by Daniel B. Towner, written in 1886.
[7]Publishing: (c) 2010 Bethel Music Publishing (ASCAP) / Christajoy Music (BMI) (Admin. by Bethel Music Publishing) / Mercy Vineyard Publishing (ASCAP) Writing: Brian Johnson, Christa Black Gifford and Jeremy Riddle
[8] 1 Corinthians 15:56-58