It's good to think more deeply about the mercies of God in times of crisis. To help guide us in this effort, we'll consider Paul David Tripp's collection of meditations from Psalm 27 called "A Shelter in the Time of Storm." You can get your own copy on Amazon here.

Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!

Psalm 27:14

Tripp follows up the meditation with a poem on waiting with some thoughts about how that process of waiting can sometimes make us give up. When we put our hope in things that might not pan out (uncertain things), it's easy to lose hope when they're slow in coming or sometimes never come at all.

His main point is that there is no one apart from God capable of "carrying our hope." Everyone else is going to, sometimes or always, let us down. There are also no circumstances capable of carrying that hope for us - it's just too much weight to bear. 

We tend to think in terms of "if onlys." I could trust God more "if only" I had... I would be more at peace "if only..." I wouldn't be so afraid "if only..." The truth is, none of those things we have in mind are capable of carrying our hope. If we're waiting on them to give us lasting peace we're going to be waiting a long time - which really means we're going to be giving up soon.

To what have you tied your hope? "Be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord."

Questions to Consider

The questions are Tripp's. I included my answers in case they're helpful to read.

1. Where is your hope disappointing you because it is simply the wrong hope? Hope in what thing or person tends to compete with your hope in the Lord?

- Carefully considered, but a bit too personal to share.

2. How would your daily living change if you were responding to the situations and relationships of your life from a heart filled with hope in the Lord?

- I'd help other people be more optimistic. My tone can be much more cynical/pessimistic (for the sake of humor) than my heart is. That isn't always helpful to those around me.