For God Alone: Hope in God!
At present, with so much unrest in our world, many yards in our neighborhood are displaying a sign that reads: Hope is not cancelled!
In what do you place your hope? We often say things like: I hope you are doing well. Or, tomorrow, I hope to go shopping … or to play golf. Merriam-Webster defines the verb, hope, as follows: to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true. A second, and archaic meaning is: to trust. As a noun, hope is defined as: desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment.
For the Christian, hope is found in the eternal God alone. In Bible study class this past Sunday, we heard an excellent lesson on reverencing the name of God:
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. (Exodus 20:7)
Our Bible study teacher reminded her listeners via ZOOM of the many names of God: Jehovah Jireh (The Lord will provide); Jehovah Rapha (The God who heals), Jehovah Nissi (The Lord is my Banner), Jehovah Elohim (the supreme or mighty One), were just some of the names Joyce mentioned in her lesson on the Third Commandment.
The psalmist reminds us time and again that God is all-sufficient, and we may, therefore, place our hope in Him. One of the words for God’s all-sufficiency is portion. The One who, in Himself, is all-sufficient, is my portion, my sufficiency. Regarding God’s self-sufficiency, preacher and author, A. W. Tozer wrote:
“Whatever God is, and all that God is, He is in Himself. All life is in and from God, whether it be the lowest form of unconscious life or the highly self-conscious, intelligent life of a seraph. No creature has life in itself; all life is a gift from God. The life of God, conversely, is not a gift from another. Were there another from whom God could receive the gift of life, or indeed any gift whatever, that other would be God in fact. An elementary but correct way to think of God is as the One who contains all, who gives all that is given, but who Himself can receive nothing that He has not first given.”
Knowledge of the Holy, Ch. 6, A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)
My God, My Portion, and My Love (arr. Mack Wilberg)
While God’s word cautions us time and again not to place our hope in humankind, we are admonished far more times in Scripture to place our hope and trust in God alone, because God is our portion, our inheritance, our allotment in life. When we say that God is our portion, we are saying that He is our all-sufficient One, the source of all we could ever need.
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. (Psalm 16:5)
When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works. (Psalm 73:21-28)
The Solid Rock
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness seems to hide His face I rest on His unchanging grace;
In ev’ry high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.
On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the Throne.
On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
The Solid Rock, Edward Mote, 1797-1874
In his book, 40 Favorite Hymns on the Christian Life (2019), Leland Ryken notes one of the truths found in The Solid Rock is that “the (Christian) believer possesses something that is stable, permanent, and reliable.” (p.116). Just yesterday, a fellow pilgrim also named Paul, wrote to me: “I’ve been missing stability.” We all need to be reminded that Christ alone is our cornerstone, our stable Rock, where the weak are made strong in the Savior’s love.
B.B. (Baylus Benjamin) McKinney admonished followers of Yahweh to Have Faith in God.
Have faith in God when your pathway is lonely,
He sees and knows all the way you have trod;
Never alone are the least of His children;
Have faith in God, have faith in God.
Have faith in God, He’s on His throne;
Have faith in God, He watches o’er His own;
He cannot fail, He must prevail;
Have faith in God, have faith in God.
Have faith in God when your prayers are unanswered,
Your earnest plea He will never forget;
Wait on the Lord, trust His Word and be patient,
Have faith in God, He’ll answer yet.
Have faith in God, He’s on His throne;
Have faith in God, He watches o’er His own;
He cannot fail, He must prevail;
Have faith in God, have faith in God.
Have faith in God in your pain and your sorrow,
His heart is touched with your grief and despair;
Cast all your cares and your burdens upon Him,
And leave them there, Oh, leave them there.
Have faith in God, He’s on His throne;
Have faith in God, He watches o’er His own;
He cannot fail, He must prevail;
Have faith in God, have faith in God.
Have faith in God tho’ all else fail about you;
Have faith in God, He provides for His own;
He cannot fail tho’ all kingdoms shall perish,
He rules, He reigns upon His throne.
Have faith in God, He’s on His throne;
Have faith in God, He watches o’er His own;
He cannot fail, He must prevail;
Have faith in God, have faith in God.
Baylus Benjamin McKinney, 1886-1952
Casting all your anxieties on Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)
© Paul R. Magyar, DMA, 2020
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