Psa 42:11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. (esv)

Where is your hope today? Biblical hope is the assurance that God is in charge and there is certainty in Him and the things we hope for in Him. Worldly hope can be compared to a wish. Something we hope for that we want to happen or come true that may or may not occur.

As a Christian I am blessed with the promise that God is my hope in all things. When I am cast down and my soul is in turmoil I have hope in God. When the world is coming against me and it appears that all of my dreams are being shattered, I have hope in God. This hope allows me to have strength against temptation, encouragement and joy during trials, and assurance of eternal life.

When we have this hope we are able to share with others the strength that is in us. Many people we know are going through difficulties and trials with our recent economic times. I had a friend share with me this week that his 18 month old grand daughter was hospitalized. The same day his grand daughter was hospitalized he lost his job due to cutbacks. Here is a quote from an email he sent me after we shared together regarding his difficulties. “As I said, losing my job paled in comparison to having to see our granddaughter in the hospital. I’m just thankful that she is going to be fine. But, again that type of situation really has a way of aligning what is truly important in life. I don’t have any idea where I may end up in the immediate future but I’m confident that we will land on our feet eventually and we will look back and understand the reason for it all.”

He has hope. I shared with him that we will be praying for him and his family and it has given me the opportunity to share God’s hope with him. Peter instructs us to give account for the hope that is in us. Opportunities come up every day for us to share our hope with others

1Pe 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; (esv)

Where is your hope today? Is it in Christ or in your own worldly efforts? I pray that if your heart is downcast and you are full of turmoil you are able to seek God today and find your hope in Him. He will give you all that you need and strengthen you to overcome.

Lord, thank you for the hope that is in me. Thank you for giving me all that I need to endure hardship and difficulties. You are the strength of my heart and my portion forever.