Why Should We Put Our Hope in God?
Scripture — Psalm 146:5-10 (NRSV)
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD their God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The LORD will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the LORD!
Focus
In Advent, we reflect upon and grow in hope. Our hope in God is based on our experience of the God who is our help in so many ways. Looking to the past gives us confidence for the future. Thus, with the psalm writer, we can say, “The LORD will reign forever, [our] God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord!” When we say this, we don’t merely utter the words impassively. Rather, we lift up our voices with joy. Psalm 146:5 begins, “Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob.” Our happiness is not the transient emotion that comes when something good happens to us, however. Rather, it’s a deep joy that lasts even in hard times. Why does it last? Because our help is the God of Jacob. We have known God’s help in the past in countless ways. Therefore, we can rejoice in the present as we look forward to a future of God’s continued blessing.
Devotion
The season of Advent is all about hope. In this time of year, we remember the hope of Israel for a messiah, one who would be “anointed” by God to set the Jewish people free from Roman oppression. This hope was fulfilled by Jesus the Messiah, though not in the way anticipated by those who hoped for his coming. Those of us who acknowledge Jesus as the Christ (“Christ” comes from the Greek version of the Hebrew word for “messiah”) hope that he will come again. His second “advent” will bring worldwide, lasting peace and justice.
Why, we might wonder, should we put our hope in God revealed in Jesus? After all, Jesus has been gone from this earth for a long time. Could it be that our hope is misplaced? Why should we continue to hope in God? What will help us to have resilient hope, especially when things in our lives and in the world are a mess?
Psalm 146 answers these questions by pointing to the “help” God has given us in the past and present. Our hope isn’t based on wishful thinking. Rather, it is grounded in the faithful, consistent help of God.
How have we seen and experienced this help? Psalm 146 points to many examples:
• God is always faithful (146:6)
• God “executes justice for the oppressed” (146:7)
• God feeds the hungry (146:7)
• God sets the prisoners free (146:7)
• God gives sight to the blind (146:8)
• God “lifts up those who are bowed down” (146:8)
• God “loves the righteous” (146:8)
• God “watches over the strangers” (146:9)
• God “upholds the orphan and the widow” (146:9)
• God destroys “the way of the wicked” (146:9)
In all these ways, God is the “help” of the people of God. Because they know God through God’s helpful actions, they are able to put their hope in God and God’s activity in the future.
As Christians, we know God to be helpful in the ways mentioned in Psalm 146. God still does all those things celebrated in this psalm. But we can add to this list because of how God has helped us through the first advent of Christ. In Jesus, God has been revealed to us as a God of mercy, healing, sovereignty, justice, grace, and love. Moreover, God has “helped” us through taking our sin, bearing it on the cross. God has helped us even more by breaking the power of sin and death through the resurrection. God helps us still more by dwelling in and among us through the Holy Spirit.
Thus, our hope in God is based on our experience of the God who is our help in so many ways. Looking to the past gives us confidence for the future. Thus, with the psalm writer, we can say, “The LORD will reign forever, [our] God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord!” When we say this, we don’t merely utter the words impassively. Rather, we lift up our voices with exuberant joy. Psalm 146:5 begins, “Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob.” Our happiness is not the transient emotion that comes when something good happens to us. Rather, it’s a deep joy that lasts even in hard times. Why does it last? Because our help is the God of Jacob. We have known God’s help in the past in countless ways. Therefore, we can rejoice in the present as we look forward to a future of God’s continued blessing.
Reflect
How has God been your help in the past?
What helps you to have hope in God for the future?
When do you find it hard to have hope?
Act
The prolific hymn writer Isaac Watts wrote the lyrics for a hymn we know as “O God Our Help in Ages Past.” (Originally, it was “Our God,” but John Wesley changed it to “O God,” which is easier to sing.) This hymn celebrates God as both our help and our hope. I’d encourage you to listen to this classic recording of Watts’s masterpiece.
Pray
Gracious God, yes, you are our help in more ways than we could ever even know. You have watched over us, cared for us, healed us, delivered us, and, most of all, saved us from sin and death through Jesus Christ. Thank you, dear Lord, for being our help.
Because you have been our help in the past, we put our hope in you for the future. We look forward with confidence to the day when you will mend this broken world, when your kingdom comes in all of its fullness. Until that time, we hope in you.
Enable us, Lord, to grow in hope during this season of Advent as we reflect on how you have been our “help in ages past.” Amen.
Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: God’s Glory in All of Creation: Psalm 146.
Mark D. Roberts
Senior Fellow
Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a Senior Fellow for Fuller’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, where he focuses on the spiritual development and thriving of leaders. He is the principal writer of the daily devotional, Life for Leaders, and t...