Place your hope, faith in God

“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God. I will praise Him again — my Savior and my God!” (Psalms 42:11)

Many people today are confused and discouraged. Some face relationship difficulties, others are troubled by financial problems, and still others are confused by the political situation of the whole world. No matter what your situation is, the answer is to put your hope in God.

The Bible is filled with references speaking of hope and placing our hope in the Lord. It is my concern that people today are often hopeless. Hope is a starting place.

Putting our hope in God can release us to move on into faith, as seen in Hebrews 11:1. “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen. It gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” I like the way another translation translates faith as expectation. If we have any hope at all, we can expect that our Lord will meet our needs.

As you place your hope in the Lord, you will find that he keeps in perfect peace all who trust in Him, all whose thoughts are fixed on Him. I am paraphrasing Isaiah 26:3 and quoting the following verse 4. “Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal rock.”

Ken Lawrence is pastor emeritus at River of Life Fellowship.