Hope Renewed

Thursday November 27 2014

In December 2013, Australian worship leader Darlene Zschech went for a routine mammogram and was diagnosed with breast cancer. In the turmoil of raw emotions, specialist appointments and the scans and surgery that followed, she instinctively reached for hope from God´s Word - the Psalms in particular. In January 2014 she tweeted, "Psalm 91 in any version; God is so good to us all, cling to His Word and find hope that will never disappoint."

The Psalms are full of hope in the midst of tough times : The shameful consequences of sin (Psalms 32, 38, 51), the sorrow of loss (31:9, 116:3, 119:28), the wounds of rejection (27:10, 34:17-20, 66:16-20, 94:14) and the persistence of those who aim to ruin us (56:9, 59:1,10, 60:12).

David battled the ravages of depression. Yet in his darkest, mmost vulnerable moments, he spoke to his soul and commanded it to hope in God (42:11, 43:5). His efforts to run from the presence of his Creator proved futile, and he finally succumbed to the God he could never outrun (139:7-12).

The vulnerability found in the Psalms give hope to people such as the young person struggling with the destructive lure of sin (119:9-16), and the adult consumed by the ravages of rejection at birth (139:13-17). And when we´re about to be consumed by hopelessness, we´re assured that we´ll see the goodness of the Lord in this lifetime (27:13-14).

The Psalms point us to a God who doesn´t desert us in our weakness or at our most vulnerable moments. He journeys with us through the valley of the shadow of death, leaving us free from fear and full of hope (23:2-6). As David wrote, "I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears" (34:4). - Ruth O'Reilly-Smith

Read
Psalm 34:1-22
I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips,
My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
He saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and he delivers them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, my children, listen to me; 
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, 
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
He delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;
he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems his servants; 
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him

Jeremiah 29:11-13
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Question to Ponder
When have you given up and given in to the turmoil of a hopeless life?
Speak to your soul as David did, and command it to worship the God in whom you trust and hope.

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Sept - Nov 2014 issue.