Whose hope is in the Lord

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.  – Jeremiah 17.7-8

My hope is in the Lord

Who gave Himself for me,

And paid the price of all my sin at Calvary.

No merit of my own

His anger to suppress.

My only hope is found in Jesus’ righteousness.

And now for me He stands

Before the Father’s throne.

He shows His wounded hands and names me as His own.

His grace has planned it all,

’Tis mine but to believe,

And recognize His work of love and Christ receive

Chorus

For me He died,

For me He lives,

And everlasting life and light He freely gives.

Whenever I hear these words I think of this great old gospel song of old. ‘My hope is in the Lord’ ought to be a rallying cry for us. Our hope is not in our bank account or our homes or even other people. I am preaching through 1 Peter right now and the whole letter is about having hope to endure through persecution and trials. In chapter 1 verse 13 Peter writes ‘Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;’

In times of fear and confusion and trouble we can be assured that we can rest our hope fully on the grace that will come when Jesus comes again. We need that hope to get through every day. We need that hope in financial crisis and illness and emotional distress and disaster. We need that hope in eternity that one day it will be worth is all.