MARCH 13

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES

***** *****

Romans 5:1-5

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;  and perseverance, character; and character, hope.  Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. ”

Romans 8:24-25

“For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”

Job 14:7

“For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And that its tender shoots will not cease.”

Psalm 42:11

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.”

Psalm 130:7

“O Israel, hope in the Lord; For with the Lord there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption.”

For He established a testimony in Jacob,

And appointed a law in Israel,

Which He commanded our fathers,

That they should make them known to their children;

That the generation to come might know them,

The children who would be born,

That they may arise and declare them to their children,

That they may set their hope in God,

And not forget the works of God,

But keep His commandments;”

Isaiah 8:17

“And I will wait on the Lord, Who hides His face from the house of Jacob; And I will hope in Him.”

***** *****

Our book for this month  is called “100 NAMES OF GOD”  written by Christopher D. Hudson.  Each day we’ll take one Hebrew name for God as given in the Bible to study and relate to.

MIQWEH YISRAEL

HOPE OF ISRAEL

Jeremiah 17:13

“Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake You will be put to shame.  Those who turn away from You will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.”

Have you ever found yourself placing your hope in something other than God?  Most of us have said, “Once I get that promotion, everything will be Okay.”  Or “If I could just get healthy, that would fix everything,” or “When we move, then I’ll be happy.”

Like us, the ancient Israelites had a tendency to place their hope in all sorts of things: their kings, their neighbors’ false gods, and peace treaties with  other nations.  But none of those things could satisfy them any more than a new job or a move can solve all our problems.  Time and time again, God urged His people – through the patriarchs, judges, and prophets – to hope in Him.  He’s the only One who will never fail us.

By any measure, the Jewish people have had a turbulent history.  Enemies have displaced them and even tried to wipe them from the face of the earth.  But God has never forgotten them.  He is, as Jeremiah declared, MIQWEH YISRAEL: “The hope of Israel.”  This has been true in the past, and it’s true today.  What’s more, it’s a covenant that will be FOREVER true.

What about those of us who are not Abraham’s natural descendants but are his children by faith as described in Romans chapters 9-11?  “The hope of Israel” is our only real hope too!

So what does it mean, practically speaking, to hope in God?  We use the word HOPE a lot of times when what we really  mean is WISH.  Biblical hope is more than crossing our fingers while we rub our lucky rabbit’s foot.  Biblical hope is confident expectation.  To hope in the God of hope is to look your problems straight in the eyes, acknowledge them, and then place your confidence in God’s sure promises and certain character.

It’s tempting often to set our hope on earthly things:  a financial portfolio, a certain political party or leader, a good career, a clean bill of health.  But it’s important to remember that all these things are shaky, uncertain, and fleeting.  Only God is worthy of our hope.

You can count on God because He always makes good on His promises.

What are the things (other than God) that you routinely look to for security and salvation?

PRAYER

MIQWEH YISRAEL, You are Israel’s hope – and my hope as well.  You keep every promise You make.  Please teach me the folly of placing confidence in things that will disappoint.  Amen

Published by liveinthelightofourlord

View all posts by liveinthelightofourlord