hope

One of the great hymns of the church, “The Solid Rock,” by Edward Mote and William Bradbury, begins, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.”

What is your hope built on? You may hope for a raise in pay at work. You may hope that you pass an exam at school. You may even hope that you win a contest you have entered. Such hopes are based on externals over which we have little control: a favorable view of our work by the boss, the “right” questions being asked by the professor, our name being drawn among thousands of entries.

But the hope we have in Christ is an absolute certainty. It leaves nothing to chance. It is based on the fact of Christ’s resurrection and the fact that He has gone ahead of us to get our dwelling place in readiness for our arrival.

When you travel and put up in a hotel, sometimes you arrive early, it so happens, the house-keeping have not had time to clean your room and make the beds, so you are required to wait. But you must have hoped that the room was ready when you arrived at the hotel, but you see, you have no control over it. And, we don’t have to have control over everything, though we wish to. If we could control everything, there was no need for hope at all. Since, everything is under the control of God, we are to hope in Him, always, for everything.

We can be sure that the place Christ is preparing for us will be ready when we arrive because with Him nothing is left to chance. Everything He promised He will deliver, just as He said. Amen

“Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD” (Psalm 146:5).

O’ LORD, my hope is built on You as the Rock of Ages. I feel so secure in knowing You are supporting me as I live. And I know I can lean on You and be safe. Thank You, Father, for being my salvation and for Jesus, who is the solid foundation of my life. Amen