"God answers my prayers everywhere except on the golf-course."
Psalm 39
My hope is in youBut now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Psalm 39:7
The Psalmist is not having a good day! His anguish levels are high. He realizes that his life is very short – “fleeting” is the word he uses – and ebbing away towards its end. He watches those around him and see no point to it all: “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be”.
He feels God’s hand heavy upon him: “Remove your scourge from me; I am overcome by the blow of your hand”. The he adds: “When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin, you consume their wealth like a moth — surely everyone is but a breath”. (Verse 11)
Then he turns to God and realizes that God is his source of hope. He addresses God: “Hear my prayer, LORD, listen to my cry for help; Save me from all my transgressions”. (Verses 12, 8)
Hope is a strange word. When we say “I hope to go to London” there is a real uncertainty about whether I will or not. In the Bible hope is somehow much more certain. Paul tells the Romans to “be joyful in hope” (Romans 12:12), he reminds the Ephesians that they have put their hope in Christ (Ephesians 1:12); he tells the Colossians that there is “hope stored up for you in heaven” but also warns then not to “move from the hope held out in the gospel”. (Colossians 1:5 and 1:23)
Whatever is happening in your life on and off the track (court, field, pool etc) remember that in the good times and the tough times, your hope should be in God.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)