Psalm 43:5 (NKJV): Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.
The word 'disquieted' here is 'hamah' in Hebrew, which means 'feeling troubled, a commotion within, a moaning (a sound expressing trouble, regret, pain, or suffering)', whereas the word 'hope' here is 'yachal' in Hebrew, meaning 'to wait with expectation'.
It was indeed in 'troubled times' that the psalmist wrote this verse, and the same it is for many of us these days. We are now living in what the Bible calls 'the last days' (see 2 Timothy 3:1-4). These are perilous times. These are also times full of contradictions and antagonism, when the best and the worst of everything all happen at the same time (see Isaiah 60:1-2). Every day, we hear news of terrorism, wars, disasters and troubles, but yet, these are also times of the great and marvellous work of the Lord taking place!
In spite of all the 'troubles' that we see, hear, or experience on earth at the moment, the truth remains that there is still every reason to hope. I am going to explain the reason why. As God's people, may our hope (in Him) continue to remain strong and alive, no matter what. Amen.
Romans 5:5 (NKJV) says, 'Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us'. The word 'hope' here is 'elpis' in Greek, which carries the meaning 'confident expectation of good, or confident anticipation of something good'.
In King James Version (KJV), the first part of this verse says, 'And hope maketh not ashamed'. It simply means 'this hope doesn't cause you to be shamed (or ashamed)'. Why? Because this hope is a sure hope (not a fickle, weak, or feeble hope that the world teaches), and it is founded on God's sure (and unchanging) love toward you!
Romans 8:35 (NKJV) says, 'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?' Romans 8:37-39 (NKJV) then says, 'Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord'.
In other words, you become more than conquerors when you know that God loves you! In fact, the more you know and remind yourself of how much God loves you, the more you are going to see good things happening to you! And that's why today, you have every reason to hope! It is the 'confident expectation of good, or confident anticipation of something good'! This confidence is not a 'blind' confidence, but a 'rock-solid' confidence, because you know that God's love toward you never fails! (1 Corinthians 13:8)
How does God demonstrate (show) His love toward you?
Romans 5:8-9 (NKJV) says, 'But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved (rescued, delivered) from wrath through Him (Christ)'.
What Jesus has done for you on the cross some 2,000 years ago is the very foundation of your hope!
Because He has carried all your sins, punishment, and judgement upon Himself on the cross, you can now be sure of goodness and mercy following you all the days of your life! Psalm 23:6 (NKJV) says, 'Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever'. See the words 'goodness' and 'mercy' here? These are in direct contrast to the words 'evil' and 'judgement'! I can now therefore have this 'confidence' that no matter what happens on this earth, 'evil' and 'judgement' shall not follow me! The Word of God says so!
And the good news is His words are always sure! Jesus Himself said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." (see Luke 21:33)
You see, Jesus has a perfect 'track record', and if you look at the list below, all His words eventually came to pass:
Luke 22:31-34 (Jesus spoke about Peter's denial);
Luke 9:22 (Jesus spoke about His death and resurrection);
Acts 1:4-5 (Jesus spoke about being baptized with the Holy Spirit);
Luke 21:20-24 (Jesus spoke about the destruction of Jerusalem);
Luke 21:9-19 (Jesus spoke about the last days, i.e. our days).
Therefore, people of God, in these last days, there's also every reason to believe and continue to hope in Him, knowing that all His words and promises for you will never return void (see Isaiah 55:10-11), even when He spoke about His Second coming and His ultimate victory! (see Luke 21:25-28) Hallelujah! Jesus is alive!
