Faithfully Put Your Hope in the Lord

Prayer – Lord, I believe…and I want to faithfully put my hope for all eternity in You. Temptation is so great to just sit back and let others do Your work now—but I want to serve You, too, in any aspect that I can. Please open my eyes to see ways that I can minister to those in need—physically and spiritually. 

Songs for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

A psalm of David. LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don't concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother's milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD—now and always. Psalm 131 :1-3

 

LORD, remember David and all that he suffered. He made a solemn promise to the LORD. He vowed to the Mighty One of Israel, "I will not go home; I will not let myself rest. I will not let my eyes sleep nor close my eyelids in slumber until I find a place to build a house for the LORD, a sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel." We heard that the Ark was in Ephrathah; then we found it in the distant countryside of Jaar. Let us go to the sanctuary of the LORD; let us worship at the footstool of his throne. Arise, O LORD, and enter your resting place, along with the Ark, the symbol of your power. May your priests be clothed in godliness; may your loyal servants sing for joy. For the sake of your servant David, do not reject the king you have anointed. The LORD swore an oath to David with a promise he will never take back: "I will place one of your descendants on your throne. If your descendants obey the terms of my covenant and the laws that I teach them, then your royal line will continue forever and ever." For the LORD has chosen Jerusalem; he has desired it for his home. "This is my resting place forever," he said. "I will live here, for this is the home I desired. I will bless this city and make it prosperous; I will satisfy its poor with food. I will clothe its priests with godliness; its faithful servants will sing for joy. Here I will increase the power of David; my anointed one will be a light for my people. I will clothe his enemies with shame, but he will be a glorious king." Psalm 132:1-18

 

Meditate. Consider God’s blessings--food, clothing, power. 

 

Jerusalem. God chosen home—His resting place. This was where God said He wanted to live—and Solomon built Him a temple there. For now, His actual dwelling place is in Heaven. After He died, Jesus was resurrected, and ascended into Heaven. Someday God will have His throne in a new Heaven…and there will be a new Earth, as it is revealed to us in Revelation.

Hollyhocks near Jerusalem, Israel

The old earth and heaven will disappear.
There will be a new Heaven, a new Earth...
and a New Jerusalem

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever."  Revelation 21:1-4

This New Heaven, with a New Jerusalem, will be a glorious home not only for God, but also for those who are faithful now to what God has called them to do.

But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God's entire house. And we are God's house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ. That is why the Holy Spirit says, "Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness. There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years. So I was angry with them, and I said, 'Their hearts always turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.' So in my anger I took an oath: 'They will never enter my place of rest.'" Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. Remember what it says: "Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled."  Hebrews 3:6-15

Don’t harden your heart—but be faithful to God and encourage other believers to be faithful, too. Will you be living eternally with the faithful brothers and sisters in the New Heaven with the Lord one day…or only on the New Earth with other believers who have wasted their time now…and not been faithful about doing God’s will? Faithfully put your trust in the Lord.

 

Verse of Salvation ~ So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. "For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away." But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved. Hebrews 10:35-39

 

Memory Verse of the Week ~ If they listen and obey God, they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives. All their years will be pleasant. Job 36:11

 

© 2022 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

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