Psalms 27:13, 14
It is easy to parcel out advice to others when they are going through tough times and things are rosy in your own life. In fact, we tend to give our most flowery advice when there is nothing but roses in our own garden. That advice makes life no easier for the person going through it, and it probably makes them wish that you had kept it to yourself. Though we advise in love and with concern, sometimes we sound as if we have all of the answers, and no one really does.
We can rest assured that the answers are found in the person of Jesus Christ. He does not have the answer; He is the answer! For believers, we have a steady, fixed point on our horizon, so that we can remain stable even though the boat rocks on the waves. Because we know that He loves us and cares for us, we believe for good things even in the midst of bad times.
“Hope” is the confident expectation of good. When we have hope we are confidently expecting that our God is going to make things work together for our good. Paul gave us this promise, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). How do we know that they are going to work out for our good? Because He spared not His Son and He freely gives us all things (8:32).
The Psalmist David said, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalms 27:13). In a very trying time in his life, David has come to the end of his sanity. He claims that he would have fainted, and given up if he had not believed to see God’s goodness. He does not claim to have already seen this goodness, but rather he believes that he will see this goodness. He has a confident expectation of good things. His faith is anchored in God’s ability to do good things and he does not need to see the circumstances change to believe that they will.
If an Old Testament saint can have this kind of faith, what more can a New Testament saint have? David did not have the divine nature of Christ living in him, nor did he have the finished work of the cross to bring him perpetual victory. Yet this saint of the faith believed that God both could and would do all that needed to be done. So confident was David that he gave us this advice, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalms 37:14).
David refers to God by the name “LORD” which is Yahweh or Jehovah. It means, “Covenant keeper”. David is saying that God is bound by covenant to take care of you so keep your confidence in Him. If he did not believe this, he knew that he was done, but by believing that he would someday see good, he could keep going.
Don’t wait until you see good to believe that God is good. Believe that you will see good, even when you are seeing bad. When you have this kind of faith, you can speak to your mountain and see it cast into the sea. Our mountains are obstacles for us, but nothing for God. Trust Him that He is good and that He wants to show His goodness in the land of the living.
It is easy to parcel out advice to others when they are going through tough times and things are rosy in your own life. In fact, we tend to give our most flowery advice when there is nothing but roses in our own garden. That advice makes life no easier for the person going through it, and it probably makes them wish that you had kept it to yourself. Though we advise in love and with concern, sometimes we sound as if we have all of the answers, and no one really does.
We can rest assured that the answers are found in the person of Jesus Christ. He does not have the answer; He is the answer! For believers, we have a steady, fixed point on our horizon, so that we can remain stable even though the boat rocks on the waves. Because we know that He loves us and cares for us, we believe for good things even in the midst of bad times.
“Hope” is the confident expectation of good. When we have hope we are confidently expecting that our God is going to make things work together for our good. Paul gave us this promise, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). How do we know that they are going to work out for our good? Because He spared not His Son and He freely gives us all things (8:32).
The Psalmist David said, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalms 27:13). In a very trying time in his life, David has come to the end of his sanity. He claims that he would have fainted, and given up if he had not believed to see God’s goodness. He does not claim to have already seen this goodness, but rather he believes that he will see this goodness. He has a confident expectation of good things. His faith is anchored in God’s ability to do good things and he does not need to see the circumstances change to believe that they will.
If an Old Testament saint can have this kind of faith, what more can a New Testament saint have? David did not have the divine nature of Christ living in him, nor did he have the finished work of the cross to bring him perpetual victory. Yet this saint of the faith believed that God both could and would do all that needed to be done. So confident was David that he gave us this advice, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalms 37:14).
David refers to God by the name “LORD” which is Yahweh or Jehovah. It means, “Covenant keeper”. David is saying that God is bound by covenant to take care of you so keep your confidence in Him. If he did not believe this, he knew that he was done, but by believing that he would someday see good, he could keep going.
Don’t wait until you see good to believe that God is good. Believe that you will see good, even when you are seeing bad. When you have this kind of faith, you can speak to your mountain and see it cast into the sea. Our mountains are obstacles for us, but nothing for God. Trust Him that He is good and that He wants to show His goodness in the land of the living.
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