It is sometimes hard for us to keep hope alive, to see the bright side in heavy situations, or encourage others in their time of need. At times, it is even hard to remember that God exists and is the Source of our hope. If we read Today’s Holy Nougat in the context of the preceding verses, we might find new reason to hope.
Psalms 33:18-20 NIV
[18] But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
[19] to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
[20] We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
Waiting in Hope
Hope is tangible, yet ethereal. It is tangible in the sense that when we fix our hope on something, we act on the not yet as if it already is. It is as if we superimposed our desired end over what currently exists. Given that sometimes our hopes don’t become reality, and that there’s an iffyness to our expectations, hope is ethereal. If we add God in the hope equation, it definitely becomes more ethereal, as God exists beyond time and outside of natural forces.
Should we agree with the Bible’s introduction to theology in Genesis 1:1, we note that Elohim, God, is the creator of time, and thus stands outside of time. For if Elohim existed before the beginning, then time is subject to God. Further, we see that in being created by God, Time is subject to God. So Hope, which is always futuristic, can be seen as being connected to time, with hope’s realisation being subject to God’s will. For those of us who believe in God, we have reason therefore, to pin our hopes directly to God, who directs, and exists outside of time.
Self-Check
Where do we most often pin our hope – in the seen and ‘known’, or in our transcendent Elohim?
Digging Deeper
We recognize from our broader reading of the text, that this psalm might have been an encouraging word in a time of battle. For previous verses tell us of God’s superiority to kings and kingdoms, and we hear of the futility in taking comfort in one’s military prowess. It was a word for then, and carries as much weight of encouragement in these times. In the descriptors of God, we know that our hope will not be unfounded as God is presented as our support and protection. These are traits which would have been proven by the psalm’s author.
Some scholars ascribe the authorship to David, who had every reason to keep his hope in God’s protection, based on personal experience. We also note that the psalmist – David or whoever actually wrote it – speaks not only to the nation, the psalmist challenges each individual to trust YHWH, El Olam – the eternal Omnipresence – with our present and future. Having explained that hoping in God is part of the qualifier for righteousness, this reiterated invitation could be seen as an appeal to look to God when the stakes are high and overwhelming.
The challenge goes out to us as it did the Israelites of the psalmist’s day – in light of God’s track record, in light of God’s presence, transcendence, support, and protectiveness, will we put our trust in God?
Point to Ponder
God’s track record is legendary and unrivalled. For no empire, no leader, no principality has ever outranked and overthrown God. Isn’t God the best recipient for our hope?
Hope in God, our refuge.
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May all we seek be found in Christ
