Psalm 38-39
“I put my hope in You, Lord; You will answer, Lord my God.” (Psalm 38:15, HCSB)
“Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.” (Psalm 39:7, HCSB)
Hope. A new year and new decade begin this week. Perhaps you’ve seen the post on social media reminding us that 1990 was thirty years ago. Honestly, that seems a little far-fetched. Time has a way of relentlessly moving forward.
On the last Sunday of December, I spent time browsing my social media feeds. The number of posts suggesting that my denomination was headed for disaster was surprising. Posts about the state of our United States were as divisive and dismissive as ever. I tend to be an Eeyore – looking at the world around me through lenses that magnify sadness, brokenness, and disappointment. Then, to my surprise, this article caught my eye first thing this morning: This Has Been The Best Year Ever. Nicholas Kristoff writes
In the long arc of human history, 2019 has been the best year ever. The bad things that you fret about are true. But it’s also true that since modern humans emerged about 200,000 years ago, 2019 was probably the year in which children were least likely to die, adults were least likely to be illiterate and people were least likely to suffer excruciating and disfiguring diseases.*
Hmm. So, there is hope in the midst of despair? Mr. Kristoff is not the first to discover this truth. A shepherd turned king turned poet and musician named David recognized that hope is a real commodity. Kristoff suggests that our hope lies in the remarkable ability of humans to solve difficult and challenging problems. He cites an economist who states
“We have changed the world. How awesome is it to be alive at a time like this?” “Three things are true at the same time,” he added. “The world is much better, the world is awful, the world can be much better.”*
David, this king who changed his world, recognized that real hope cannot be found in his fellow humans. David’s life is an account of disappointment and difficulty. Early in his life he had been identified and set apart by a prophet to be the King. The journey from shepherding to being a king was a long and dangerous one. David recognized that the only source of real hope was in God. David knew God as One who listens to prayers, releases people from despair, and rescues from circumstances beyond his control.
As this new year begins there is reason for optimism. God has gifted you and me to solve complex and challenging problems. Yet our hope is permanently fixed upon the eternal God, the One in whom we live, breathe, and exist.
May we be immovable in our hope for all that God wants to accomplish in and through us!
* https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/28/opinion/sunday/2019-best-year-poverty.html, accessed on 12/30/19.
* Ibid.
WINSTON COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH 