hope is risky. or at least it feels that way to me. i might put my heart out there, “believing” that something i desire will actually comes to pass. What if it doesn’t happen? What if it doesn’t happen now? There is disappointment. There is hope-deferred. There is heart sickness. Does any of this sound familiar to you?

A friend shared this bible verse with me:

“Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live;
And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.” Psalm 119:116

So, the Psalmist knows the reality of being “ashamed” of his hope. He must have had the experience of extending his faith, his longing, his prayer for something and then being… ashamed.

God’s word is connected to our life. Our life is connected to our hope. God speaks His desires into our hearts, enlivening us, causing our hope to arise. We place our confident expectation in God’s commitment to fulfill His promises. In this life there are wide gaps between promise and fulfillment. In this life fulfillment comes by measure: a little here, a little there. There is always more to look forward to. There is the BIG fulfillment. The BIG answer still to come.

Why am i saying all this? I’m counseling myself. I pray that you benefit from these words as well, but they are really the ones that i need to here right now.

Father, speak Your word into us again. The promises You’ve made us: please, just tell us again. Let us be revived, enlivened by Your word to us. We’d like to hope again. We’d like to be confident in expecting Your promise to come to pass. Yes, help us hope. Only do not let us be ashamed. Amen.