Hope: It's a Matter of Source, not Circumstance

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There are times when we simply don’t have the words. Those times where the depth of our emotion is so strong that our experience overpowers our capacity to provide a description. Times where we are so deeply moved we rely on others to capture our feelings and emotions. 

I believe it is not uncommon for us to realize much later down the road words that describe our emotions and/or situation. Maybe that time comes when we hear another sharing a story from their life experience and we discover it resonates with our soul. Maybe that time comes when we read something or about someone and make the connection.

Long story short, there is a book of the Bible, the Psalms, that serves as the church’s first hymnbook. These 150 distinct works delve deep into humanity’s relationship with its creator in both the highs and lows of life. For many centuries now, men and women of the faith have drawn strength and inspiration from the words of the Psalmist, and with good reason. One could make the case that the Psalms are the most relatable of all the books found in the canon because the words and sentiments therein are so visceral.

In a time when it seems so much of our world is in absolute chaos - whether in dealing with a pandemic or dealing with the aftermath of yet another confrontation with police going tragically wrong or a whole host of other things, I must admit words fail me. And, yet, here the Psalmist is again, picking us up along this journey,

From Psalm thirty-three, verses twenty to twenty-two:

We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.

Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.

I firmly believe that part of our panic and emotional dysfunction these days rests in the reality that a great deal of where we place our hope - people, institutions, etc. - are inevitably going to let us down. They are going to let us down because by definition all of creation has finite power and a finite existence. Far too often, we allow ourselves to be in position to turn negative and self-destructive because we feel let down by someone or something that was supposed to protect us and make everything, if not alright, at least not quite as painful.

The Psalmist comes to our rescue by reminding us of the calling we all have to put our hope in the Lord, for the Lord is our help and shield. Notice the Psalmist does not say what we SHOULD do - no, indeed. The Psalmist makes a distinct claim on behalf of the people of God - we DO put our hope in the Lord. Implied in this is the question of where is it we do place our hope?

Additionally, the Psalmist reminds us that our hearts rejoice in God precisely because we DO trust in his holy name. This leads us to have to inquire of ourselves if our hearts rejoice because of God, or because of circumstance? 

Finally, we encounter the plea of the Psalmist for the Lord’s unfailing love to surround us because our hope is in the Lord alone. Simply though these simple words of testimony and prayer, the Psalmist is calling those who hear or read this to confront where is our hope — in the Lord or somewhere else?

Look, you could easily make the case that all hell has broken loose in so many places around the world, and in so many facets of our lives. Precisely because of this we must rely on the words of the Psalmist. We see images everyday of injustice and oppression - some overt, many covert, all real — and must ask ourselves from where do we discern our moral authority and our hope.

Friends, let us thank God for the words of the Psalmist, for so often we do not have the words on our own. Let us thank God we have an outlet for all our emotions, especially when we get to the point where  we can do no more. It’s ok to not have the words - for the burden is not ours alone. Thanks be to God for the Psalmist, for giving us the words we do not have ourselves.