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.
— Psalm 42:11
The psalmist writes that we should place our hope in God. For anyone who grew up in church, this advice seems wise and something we would assume to hear from a pulpit, but if we are honest, it also sounds cliché. The pastor told me to put my hope in God, so that is what I’ll do. The truth is, we can say it and not really understand the meaning. So, why should we put our hope in God?
Before we can answer that question, let’s start with some other questions, such as what do people put their hope in besides God? Well, this last year I found myself putting my hope in money, job security, relationships, partnerships, the economy, my 401k balance, and my strength.
There was a long list of things I placed my hope in this past year. Yet, I am reminded by scripture to put my hope in God. But why?
In seminary, they taught us this big word: immutability. It means that God cannot and does not change. God is not up one day and down the next. God is not reliable this week but absent next week. God is not trustworthy in 2019 and unreliable in 2020. God does not change. So, when the psalmist writes, “Put your hope in God,” what he is suggesting is to put your hope in something that is constant and never changing. When your hope is in God, then you can truly have hope.
As we close out 2022 and enter into 2023, can I encourage you to put your hope in God? When times get rocky and difficult, tether yourself to the only thing that is constant. Put your hope in God.