Hope and Good Courage
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Psalms 146:1-6
Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. Put not your trust in princes, [nor] in the son of man, in whom [there is] no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy [is he] that [hath] the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope [is] in the Lord his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein [is]: which keepeth truth for ever:
Deuteronomy 31:6-8
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he [it is] that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, he [it is] that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. The Lord God goes before us. I’ve come to terms with this truth recently in a rather surprising way! Our son has dealt with some undiagnosed learning disabilities his entire life. At 19 (this year) we finally received a valid diagnosis, and so are able to acquire some services that will allow him to live a full and productive life. My initial response to the situation was not one of joy, though. I was angry and sad—in fact, I was both outraged and devastated that he did not receive the help he should have had while in the school system.
Last week, I met one of my dear brothers in Christ for our annual Christmas “meet at the book store coffee shop” to get caught up on the year past and share plans for the upcoming year. While we were talking I had the revelation that I was being quite sinful in that I was limiting God and his power and doubting his wisdom. I had shared that I was so sad and angry that my son might not have the life he “could have” had if he had of received more help during his school years. Then I posed (to myself as much as my friend), “Who am I to question God?” Further, I shared, “How do I know that God did not intend the exact path for my son that he was on throughout his life?”
Even if the path was not the one “originally” planned for him, God surely will use everything my son has experienced and struggled with and celebrated and use it for his good and bountiful future! I wasn’t looking at all the wonderful qualities my son has, at all the ways he sees the world as a godly and faithful young man. I was discounting God’s ability and desire to overcome whatever obstacles man puts in our way and to turn it into something more, even better, than it might have been otherwise.
These verses tell us not to “trust in man” or to rely upon the wisdom or inherent goodness of human kind. We are rather to lean upon God and his understanding, wisdom, power and will. His knowledge is perfect. His wisdom is without flaw. His understanding far surpasses anything the human mind can comprehend. My son’s hope has always been in the Lord. It is my hope that has faltered and been overshadowed by doubt and fear.
God not only prepares us for our future, he sustains us in our present and transforms our past to equip us to do His good will. If that is not reason for hope and good courage, I don’t know what is. I’ll say it again: God not only prepares us for our future, he sustains us in our present and transforms our past to equip us to do His good will.
My prayer today is that you will Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid. And that you will sing praises unto your God while you have any being.
Mary
Labels: courage, faith, fear, future, hope
