Our greatest fear

Maybe this time God has forsaken me

"(My enemies) say, God has forsaken him;
pursue and seize him,
for there is none to deliver him."
(Psalms 71:11)

Isn't that our greatest fear? Maybe this time God has forsaken me. Maybe this time He isn't working for my good. Maybe this time my situation really is hopeless.

This Psalm models what to do when I'm losing hope: remember what He has done for me before, remember what He has done for others, praise Him in the midst of the storm, sing songs of praise and deliverance, pray for him to listen, pray for him to rescue, trust and hope in Him no matter what my circumstances, do not believe the lies that others are saying that God has abandoned me, do not believe God is far from me - pray that he is not. There is often not much I can DO in hopeless situations and that's part of the reason they seem hopeless. But praising Him, praying, singing songs of deliverance - those are all acts of hope and the hardest thing to do when I feel hopeless. Battling, working things out on my own, confronting those who are the source of my misery - those are my natural desires, they are how people without God act. People who have God fight on their knees. Ephesians 6 talks about putting on all this armor but then the church is not commanded to fight, we are commanded to pray. The army of God advances on its knees, not by waging attacks. "Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18).

Why? Why can't I take a swing or two?

"With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;
I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone." (Psalms 71:16)

Because if I take a swing, I have delivered myself. I take the credit. I boast in my own righteousness. Sadly, I've heard "testimonies" like this - people testifying to their own hard work, how they pulled themselves up by their bootstraps so to speak. God wants me to watch Him work, He wants his righteousness and deliverance on display. He wants me to boast about Him and not myself. He doesn't want me justifying my actions, He wants me to trust in Him to act for my good and His glory.

Bible Project summary:

This is a fantastic summary of hope. I've listened to it twice this morning. Hope is choosing to wait on God despite my circumstances. "Biblical hope isn't optimism based on the odds, it is a choice to wait for God to bring about a future that is as surprising as a crucified man rising from the dead. Christian hope looks back to the risen Jesus in order to look forward. And so we wait and that is what the biblical words for hope are all about."

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Bible Project.