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 91:1-16 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 (Psalm 32:1-11, Psalm 38:1-22, Psalm 51:1-19), the sorrow of loss (Psalm 31:9, Psalm 116:3, Psalm 119:28), the wounds of rejection (Psalm 27:10, Psalm 34:17-20, Psalm 66:16-20, Psalm 94:14), and the persistence of those who aim to ruin us (Psalm 56:9, Psalm 59:1,10, Psalm 60:12).
David battled the ravages of depression. Yet in his darkest, most vulnerable moments, he spoke to his soul and commanded it to hope in God (Psalm 42:11, Psalm 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 (Psalm 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 (Psalm 119:9-16), and the adult consumed by the ravages of rejection at birth (Psalm 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 (Psalm 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 (Psalm 23:2-6). As David wrote, “I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 2 Corinthians 4:1-18
More:
Read Jeremiah 29:11-13 and be encouraged by the God who gives you “a future and a hope.”
Next:
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.
Gary Shultz on November 27, 2014 at 7:47 am
In our country today is Thanksgiving, a great day to be sure. Giving thanks tends to give me hope. I am pulled into a place where I see what God has done, with great expectation of the certainty of what He will do. Hope for the believer is not the light at the end of the tunnel it is a promise form the author of life and existence it self. We all lose sight of hope at times, but the surety is as true as God Himself. Happy Hopesgiving.
gshafer11 on November 27, 2014 at 11:35 am
Thank you for the nice devotional today, the outstanding resource of ODJ, and for all of the positive blogs and comments that continuously abound on this site.
I read an article recently that studied google employees. The article found that those who were thankful and grateful were the most happy over the long term. The article suggests that we should make it a point to thank people by sending texts, emails, and personally thanking them. The positive vibes generated by this thoughfulness transfer into more positive relationships, and result in increased happiness…
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
-George
Ruth O'reilly-smith on November 27, 2014 at 1:00 pm
A very Happy ‘Hopesgiving’ and Thanksgiving Gary and George. Although we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in South Africa, I think we should. Pausing for a moment towards the end of the year and focusing on the people and things I’m thankful for is such a great opportunity for growth – spiritually and personally. At this time of year, I’m reminded of another great Psalm. Psalm 100:4-5 “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.”
sercher on November 27, 2014 at 5:11 pm
Thank you , Ruth, for your insight in searching for answers to life’s most vital issue in the Book of Psalms. It’s an inexhaustible source of a needy soul.
Let’s remind ourselves to be willing to speak “..to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19)
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms” (Colossians 3:16)
Winn Collier on November 29, 2014 at 3:40 pm
Psalms, the prayer book of Israel and the church. So rich and deep, isn’t it?