Hope Continually

Scripture — Psalm 71:4-6, 14

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
     from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
For you, O Lord, are my hope,
     my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from my birth;
     it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you. . . .
But I will hope continually,
     and will praise you yet more and more.

Devotion

I began this series on Advent in the Psalms by sharing how much I love Advent. Not only is Advent a time for me to quiet my heart in anticipation of the birth of Jesus, but it is also an opportunity for me to rekindle my hope in the Lord. I’m grateful for the fact that Christians have set apart Advent as such a special time.

Yet, if we were to hope in the Lord only during Advent, we’d be falling short of what biblical hope is really all about. Consider this portion of Psalm 71, for example: “Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel. For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you” (71:4-6). In this passage the psalm writer cries out to God for deliverance. Why? Because Lord is his hope. Parallel to this affirmation we find, “My trust, O LORD, from my youth (Psalm 71:5). Given the way Hebrew poetry works, we understand that the writer has hoped and trusted in God from the time of his youth.

This passage of Scripture suggests that hoping in the Lord should be, not just something we do in certain seasons of life, but rather something we do throughout our whole lives. This suggestion is made explicit in verse 14, “But I will hope continually, and will praise you yet more and more.” Even as the psalm writer hopes in the Lord continually, so should we, moment by moment, day after day.

Advent, when rightly understood and practiced, doesn’t limit our hope to four weeks before Christmas. Rather, Advent helps us nurture a hope that continues throughout the year. It’s a little like what married people do when celebrating their wedding anniversary. On that particular day, they do things to communicate their love in a special way and, Lord willing, rekindle the feelings of love they had when they got married. But it would be sad if spouses were to love each other only on their anniversary day. Rather, the feelings and experiences of an anniversary are meant to stir up love that flourishes throughout the year.

So, by all means get in touch with your hope during Advent. Remember the hope of Israel for a messiah, the hope that began to be fulfilled in the birth of Jesus on Christmas. Moreover, stir up hope for what will happen when Christ comes again, bringing the fullness of God’s salvation, justice, and peace. But don’t let your hope disappear when we leave Advent in order to celebrate Christmas. Rather, let the good news of the birth of Jesus increase your hope even more. Christmas reveals the truth that hope is not incidental to God’s nature and action. Rather, hope is a direct and fitting response to God’s faithfulness and grace. As the Apostle Paul writes to the Christians in Rome, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). Because God is “the God of hope,” we can and should “abound in hope” by the power of God’s Spirit within us.

Yes, Lord. May that be true for me!

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Our Prayer as We Get Older.

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