I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will boast in the Lord; the humble will hear and be glad. Proclaim the Lord’s greatness with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me and rescued me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant with joy; their faces will never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and rescues them. Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the person who takes refuge in him! You who are his holy ones, fear the Lord, for those who fear him lack nothing. Psalm 34:1-10
When All Hope Is Lost
I confess that sometimes I stop looking for hope. I know the truth about hope in my head, but my heart gives up. I just hold my breath under the weight of whatever the circumstance is that I cannot see my way through. Have you ever felt this way? Have you stopped believing in hope because it is too painful to look for it and not find it? David knew a little about searching blindly for hope in some very treacherous and heavy situations. But he always came back to
In Psalm 34, David has narrowly escaped the Philistine city of Gath as he was on the run from King Saul. Now he is in the cave at Adullam hiding with some other men. It is believed that he wrote this Psalm from that cave.
David knew that, but he is speaking the truth of hope out loud, for his own good and the good of those with him. He speaks about how he will bless the Lord at all times, even while hiding for fear of losing his life. David knew that the Lord is always great and he knew that we should always proclaim that greatness with our lips.
We can call out to him and find refuge in him. He hears our cries and answers. We can be radiant with joy when our heart is breaking. He rescues and takes away our shame, and the angel of the Lord surrounds us. Taste and see that he is good.
David knew that all hope is never lost and he walked in that promise. He had his moments, but he always circled back to his faith in the only one true hope we ever have. During hard times and trials is not the time to quit seeking and praising the Lord. Even on the days it is hard to get out of bed and face life, praise him! It changes everything – at least in our hearts. It doesn’t take away or change our circumstances, but it gives life to the hope that is inside us. We focus on him, and we remember who he is when we proclaim it. We remember what we really believe.
The truth about hope is this – it is never lost. But it will never be found when we look for it in all the wrong places. When we stop looking for it, it always finds us because hope is only found in Jesus, and he comes to us in every situation. He finds us under the weight of our trials and brings hope to us. We might not feel it, but it is there. When we don’t feel it – that is when we need to proclaim it the loudest, sing at the top of our lungs, until our heart hears it and our focus is once again aligned where it should be. Open your eyes and take a breath. All hope is never lost. All hope is found in him.
