Friday, February 23, 2024  

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Today's Hymn
“Out of the Depths”

In you alone, O God, we hope,
and not in our own merit.
We rest our fears in your good word;
uphold our fainting spirit.
Your promised mercy is my fort,
my comfort, and my strong support;
I wait for it with patience.

by Martin Luther
Hymn 424, Glory to God
verse 3

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Reflection

Hope is a curious feeling, and it’s quite universal. We all know it.

I hope it doesn’t rain today. I hope you have a safe trip! I hope the test results are clear.

We humans do a lot of hoping — mostly for good. We desire certain outcomes, and there’s nothing wrong with that. We cross our fingers, toss pennies in fountains, and knock on wood. We are wishful people.

The Bible is full of humans hoping for one thing or another. In particular, the psalmists wrestle, fight, and struggle to maintain their hope in God. We see this in the hymn “Out of the Depths,” which is a paraphrase of Psalm 130.

But the hope the psalmists claim, biblical hope, is different than just the desire for a certain outcome in the future. Biblical hope not only desires something to happen but expects it. It’s confident and sure. It’s rooted in the deep, abiding promises of God to be our fort, comfort, resting place. Biblical hope is not rooted in our own abilities to influence an outcome, but in God’s.

And that can be a bit terrifying, can’t it? To admit that God is God and we are not. Biblical hope is more than just a wish. It is an affirmation in the power and sovereignty of God and a confident trust that God’s word stands firm.

We hope in God alone. Nothing else.

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Prayer
O God, from the moment you put air in my lungs I have had cause to hope in you alone.

Be patient with me as I continue to root myself in your hope, for you alone deserve it.

Amen.

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Written by Shawn Fiedler, Major Gift Officer

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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