“Hope in God.” Three small words. What they express, though, is huge. They form a command, an exhortation, and a profound truth that is the key to a happy and fulfilled life. This is what every person in the universe wants—to be happy and fulfilled. The problem for all of us is that we are often mistaken about what will lead us to attain happiness and fulfillment. The only sure pathway to a state of lasting joy and satisfaction is found in these three words. This is why the psalmist wrote what he did in Psalm 42:5.
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
One of the distinguishing characteristics of a Christian hedonist is that our circumstances need not and should not dictate our state of joy and satisfaction. The psalmist is downcast and in turmoil in his soul, and yet he can confidently say—not only to himself, but to his hearers/readers—that the answer to being downcast and in turmoil is to look away from yourself and look upward toward God. Hoping in God is the sure, never-changing, ever-present, never-failing, antidote to all the trials and tribulations any of us could ever face.
So no matter what situation or state of mind you are in right now, heed the command and exhortation to “hope in God.” As you and I do that, we too will have the same response as the psalmist did and we “shall again praise him,” for he is our God and our salvation. And as we develop the discipline to put our hope in God more and more every day, we will then be able to experience the Apostle Paul’s desire for the Roman believers:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13)
Abounding in hope with you,
Tim
Tim Tomlinson
President
Prayer Requests:
- Please join us in praising the Lord for his benevolence toward us during the accreditation team’s visit with us last month. Their report was very favorable and encouraging. Now we must wait until February 2020 for the accrediting commission’s formal approval of our continued accreditation status.
- Please be in prayer for our students and faculty as we’re now on the “home stretch” of the school year. Pray for stamina, health, and wisdom for all.
- Please pray for hope to abound among all of the members of our community: students, faculty, and staff.
- And, as always, continue to pray for our finances. Pray that the Lord would provide the remainder of what we need to finish out the fiscal year strong.