“I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.” — Psalm 52:9 (NIV84)

Our hope in God is not a blind hope in the future. We certainly hope for a lot of things in the future, but they are connected to the certainty of what God has already done in our lives. Note that the psalmist said he would praise God for the things He had done. His hope was in a God whose name is good because that God did good things in the psalmist’s life. The psalmist used the faithfulness of God throughout his life to justify his hope in Him for his future. And this hope was not a wish but a certainty rooted in God’s track record of faithful providence.

So what about our hope? Is our hope in God simply a blind hope for future salvation? How has God shown you a faithful track record of providence over your lifetime? Stop and think for a minute. Think of growing up as a kid. Think of those teenage years and dating. Think of your education and training. How about your marriage, children, friendships? Has God proved Himself to you by doing good things on your behalf? He has provided plenty of evidence for you to put your hope in Him for your future, too, hasn’t He?!

Even our future hope of eternal life is rooted in the historical fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the dead victorious. Our hope in God is rooted in thousands of years of recorded history about God faithfully meeting the physical and spiritual needs of His people. Our hope is rooted in the many years that He has faithfully provided for our lives. Our hope in God for the future only seems to be the natural progression of what has already been established.

Today, let’s join together in praising God, in whom we have our hope, for all that He has and will do on our behalf.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church