Finding Hope in a Hopeless World

Finding Hope in a Hopeless World
Today’s Reading Psalm 86-90
Psalm 86:15, ”But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth. Turn to me, and be gracious to me; Oh, grant Your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your handmaid.”

In this politically divided world, there is one thing we can all agree on: we live in a broken world where sin and evil reign unchecked, and we feel the weight of trials and difficulties. Yet the world we live in is not much different from the world of the Psalmist. He knew what it was like to live with the struggles of life. In reading through the Psalms, we find the repeated theme of adversity and suffering. Psalm 86 begins with the prayer of one afflicted and broken. He starts with the cry of his affliction and need. The word “afflicted” in verse one refers to one who is overwhelmed by want. It speaks of one who faces distress and disability so that he is defenseless and subject to oppression. It is closely related to the next word, “needy,” which speaks of one who is destitute. But this goes far beyond one who is financially destitute. The Psalm was written by David, who became the king of Israel and possessed great wealth. The affliction and need he faced related to his struggles and his need for divine help. We can have all the wealth of the world, but still be empty and “needy.”  Even when our bank account is full, we can be inwardly and spiritually bankrupt. When we are financially bankrupt, we can turn to financial institutions for assistance and charitable organizations that provide for the needy. But where do we turn when we are spiritually bankrupt and our inward soul is destitute because of our sin, when life turns against us and we have no help in sight?

David provides the answer. The answer is found in God alone. Only God can forgive our sins and restore us to a right relationship with Him. Of all the needs we face in life, there is only one that is absolutely essential: the need for salvation from our sin and the restoration of our relationship with God. The God of the Bible, the one who created the universe and sent His son to pay the penalty of our sin so that we might have a restored relationship with Him, is unique and incomparable. There is no god like Him and none that has done the wondrous works which He has accomplished (vs 8). Therefore, He is the only one that we can turn to, for He is the only one that will answer our prayer. He gives hope to the hopeless, strength to the weak, and freedom to those enslaved in sin. His love for us is inexhaustible, and He can deliver us from the depths of death itself (vs 13).

So how do we respond to God? What must we do to receive His forgiveness and receive His salvation and hope? David provides us with the answer in verses 10-13. It starts with the acknowledgment that He alone is God (vs 10). There is none like Him. There is no religion, no spiritual truth, no religious leader, other than Him and the truth that He has revealed in His Word. Therefore, we need to turn to Him alone for guidance and instruction. In verse 11, David prays that God would instruct him so that he would walk in the truth of God’s Word. The statement “Unite my heart to fear Your name” is the key statement and focal point of the Psalm. In light of God’s character and redemptive work, David asks that God would make Him “single-heartedness” in his devotion to God. May this become our prayer as well: That God would give us a heart that is riveted upon Him and Him alone so that we might walk in obedience to His law. When God becomes the sole object of our affections and desires, then we discover that we possess the riches of His lovingkindness, and there is no greater wealth than that.