Where Is Our Hope?

Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my hope comes from Him.
Psalm 62:5

It has been a long haul. We are weary and we are ready for change. We see a light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe just a glimmer, but it’s there.

And on social media, I’m starting to see a different kind of post. There’s hope.

And trust, me, I think hope is just what we need right now. For many of us, hope is all we’ve had for months. At the home of Hope-Filled Fiction, I’m going to be the last person to tell you not to hope!

But be careful where your hope is placed. The kind of sentiment I’m seeing champions the power of the human spirit. We can do it. We will rebuild.

But take a moment and consider how we got here. What we all said this was about. For many, like me, this forced rest has been about re-focusing our attention on God. For taking time to get our priorities straight and to center our attention on the one who is our Help, our Hope, the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 124:8).

So let us not forget then as we emerge from this crisis, that our hope must remain in Him. Our hope cannot be in the power of the human spirit. That may well be what brought us where we are!

Take a look at Isaiah 9:10 from The Passion Translation. This verse has often been quoted as our society emerged from a crisis. It was, in fact, quoted after 9/11.

Our brick walls may have crumbled,
but we will rebuild them with dressed stones.
Invading armies may have cut down our sycamore trees,
but we will plant cedars in their place!

Sounds encouraging, doesn’t it? The champion cry of a downtrodden people, refusing to be put down. But it was arrogance.

Examine the context. Read this verse together with the verse before it (emphasis mine).

And all the people of Ephraim and Samaria knew of it.
Their hearts filled with pride and they arrogantly boasted,
“Our brick walls may have crumbled,
but we will rebuild them with dressed stones.
Invading armies may have cut down our sycamore trees,
but we will plant cedars in their place!”

A few verses later, in verse 13, we see why.

For the people did not repent and turn to the one who struck them
or seek the Lord Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies.

I want us to rebuild. I want new life to spring up where the old has died. I want us to be with our families and our friends again. Trust me I want that! And I want to see our economy thrive once more.

But our hope must not be in our own strength, abilities, wisdom, or intelligence. It must not be in the “power of the human spirit.” That power, after all, was placed in us by our Creator. Our hope must be in the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth.

If there must be a new normal, let it be this: hope in Him.

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