Psalm 37:34-36 says, "Hope in the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it. I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found." The word "hope" in this text means "wait eagerly with the expectation that it will come to pass." Sometimes, people confuse hope with the word "wish." The word "wish" means a desire or want that is not certain to happen in the future. However, when we use the word "hope," especially related with our Lord, there is no doubt, but surety that it is bound to happen. When God promised Abraham the land to the nation of Israel in Genesis 15:18, God fulfilled it during the reign of David. However, the nation of Israel lost their land when they rebelled against God, but God will restore the land to the nation of Israel in God's timing and purpose. David understood, based on his experience, that God fulfilled His promises. Similarly, God will also fulfill His promises to us; as a result, we wait eagerly with the expectation that He will take care of us no matter what happens in this world.
The wicked, or those who reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior and are not willing to surrender their lives to the Lord, will perish in the end. No matter how they become successful in this lifetime, their possessions and fame will not save them. Hebrews 9:26-27 says, "And just as each person is destine to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him." We wait with eager expectations that God will come back to this sinful world to those who put their faith in the Lord and surrendered their lives to Him.
In this Thanksgiving week, let us put our hope in the Lord. No matter what is going on in our lives, God will take care of all of our concerns. God wants us to live in joy and peace in Him, and the only way that can happen is to hope with eager expectations that He will fulfill His promises to us that He will take care of all of our concerns, no matter what that be.
Ask yourself these questions for application: (Think through carefully and meditate on the questions while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you). What does hope in the Lord mean? Do I hope in the Lord? How do I hope in the Lord?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, I have complete assurance that you are going to take care of all my concerns because you always fulfill your promises to your children. Thank you for being my hope. May your joy and peace overwhelm my heart in the midst of all my concerns. In your name, Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen.