The God of Jacob

"How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

Whose hope is in the Lord his God,"

Psalm 146:5

This is the secret to true happiness. To know God and the hope we have in Him. Other relationships may falter and even fade away, but our relationship with God is secure; eternally sound. It will never die. We have His help while we are on this earth and when our time here is ended we have Him as our reward in Heaven. And make no mistake, He is the ultimate reward. We often talk about all the pleasures we'll have in that eternal dwelling place, but none will compare with the joy of being in the presence of our Savior. "The God of Jacob is the God of the covenant, the God of wrestling prayer, the God of the tried believer; He is the only living and true God. The God of Jacob is Jehovah, who appeared unto Moses, and led the tribes of Jacob out of Egypt, and through the wilderness. Those are happy who trust Him, for they shall never be ashamed or confounded. The Lord never dies, neither do His thoughts perish: His purpose of mercy, like Himself, endures throughout all generations. Hallelujah!" (Spurgeon)

And Christ, too!

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

“Therefore I have hope in Him.”

Lamentations 3:24

Jeremiah describes God as his soul’s “portion.”  This word means “share or booty.”  It refers to “the spoils of war.”  Life can feel like a battle sometimes. Prolonged illness, financial difficulties, or relational problems can overwhelm us. But in the midst of such challenges we have hope just as Jeremiah did. We have the Lord. He is our reward. He is ever with us and for us. We can trust that He has in mind for us only the best, even when it doesn't feel like it. "Some of you are very poor; you have nothing in the world, but you can say, 'The Lord is my portion.' Like the old woman who, when she had nothing to eat but a dry crust of bread, and only a cup of water to drink, broke the bread and said, 'All this, and Christ too!'" (Charles Spurgeon)

Real Hope

"For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures 

we might have hope."

Romans 15:4

Paul can only be speaking of the Old Testament here. He had just quoted from Psalm 69. What was written then was not just for that time, it was written for our instruction as well. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;" (2 Timothy 3:16). When we study Scripture we see God's perspective on things and find wisdom to deal with the trials and challenges that come into our life. We learn how others persevered through hardship and persecution, and came out stronger in their faith and trust in God. This is the encouragement we need to give us hope in hopeless situations. "You won’t find any hope in the daily newspaper. You won’t find any hope in modern literature. Look at any field and see if you can find any hope. There is none whatsoever. It is dark and dismal when you look out at this world today. My friend, the only place you can find real hope is in the Word of God." (J. Vernon McGee)

I 

Continual Hope

"But as for me, I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more."

Psalm 71:14

When we're up against something big, it's the promises of God that bring us hope. But if we fix our eyes on the trial, instead of on the One who has promised to carry us through it, then hope will evade us. The missionary Adoniram Judson was suffering from fever in a wretched prison in Burma. A friend sent him a letter, asking, “Judson, how’s the outlook?” Judson replied, “The outlook is as bright as the promises of God.” Judson looked beyond his immediate circumstances and placed His confidence in the Lord and His promises. We can do the same. When we do, we will have continual hope and we will praise God more and more. 

Abounding Hope

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Romans 15:13

Some people -- even Christians -- spend their time and money finding joy and peace in the things the world has to offer. Perhaps they shop until they drop. Or they hit the party circuit. But eventually the items purchased lose their luster, the party comes to an end, and joy and peace fade. To get that feeling of joy and peace again requires another shopping spree, another party. We don't have to settle for that kind of roller coaster existence. Going from lows to highs and back down to lows, over and over again. The God of hope offers us lasting joy and peace through belief in Him. It begins with a personal relationship with Him, and a conscious decision to make God enough. When we look to anything other than God to satisfy us, we are telling Him that He's just not cutting it. And as long as we do this, we quench the power of the Holy Spirit. God has promised us joy and peace in believing. Belief removes all the obstacles to God's gifts of joy and peace. Belief opens the door to our hearts and says to the Holy Spirit, "Come in and give me abounding hope." 

He Overwhelmingly Conquers

"But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." 

Romans 8:37

Through the worst of times, Paul could encourage his readers that "in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loves us." And what were "all these things" of which Paul wrote? We find them in verse 35: tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, and sword. Paul wrote from experience, as he had faced all those things and had won victory over them through Christ. Whatever distress you may currently be facing, if Jesus is your Savior you will overwhelmingly conquer. The conquering will come from drawing closer to Him. For it is when we are in distress, that we run to the Lord. We cry out, and because of His great love for us, He comes to our aid. He overwhelmingly conquers our fear and gives us hope. We find that no matter what happens to us, we can never be separated from the Lord. He doesn't let go. His grip is eternal. "Yea, when death comes, that breaks all other unions, even that of the soul and body, it carries the believer's soul into the nearest union with its beloved Lord Jesus, and the full enjoyment of him for ever." -- Matthew Henry

Hope in Despair

"My eyes pour down unceasingly,

         Without stopping, 

    Until the LORD looks down

 And sees from heaven."

Lamentations 3:49-50

After the devastation of Jerusalem and the exile of his people, Jeremiah went into a state of deep depression. Lamentations records the reality and intensity of his feelings: distress, torment, overflowing tears, groaning and more. He pours it all out before the Lord, and we see that for Jeremiah there will be no comfort aside from that which God will give. And yet there were glimpses of hope that Jeremiah caught: the Lord's lovingkindness; His compassion, faithfulness and goodness (Lamentations 3:22-25). There are times in our own lives when we need to pour out our troubles before the Lord. He doesn't condemn us for this. In fact, God will often use our sorrow to draw us closer to Himself. When we come seeking consolation, we will find hope.

God Is Still There

"This I recall to my mind,

Therefore I have hope. 

The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,

For His compassions never fail. 

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness. 

'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul,

'Therefore I have hope in Him.'" 

Lamentations 3:21-24

In every life there comes a time of disappointment. It may come in the form of something we thought we would receive from God, such as a home, or job, or restored health. But then the house deal falls through, the company changes their mind about filling the position, the illness we thought was in remission returns. Or it may appear as the loss of someone close to us: a spouse, a child or other loved one. Oh, how our faith is tested then. We may ask, "What in the world are You doing, God?" And we may wonder if He really loves us. If He did, would He allow this pain into our lives? At times such as these, we must cling to everything we know about God; recalling His love, kindness and compassion. It may be necessary to write down all the incidents when God showed His faithfulness. When everything else vanishes, God is still there. When we recognize this truth, it is then that we confess, "God, You are all I need (my portion), and I choose to put my hope in You."