Hopelessness

Hope is the spiritual anchor for the soul. Hopelessness leads to despair. Hope pushes us toward joy and peace. Biblical hope is not a wish or a desire expressed in a statement like, “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.” Hope in God produces certainty and confidence because it is based in the Person of God.

“Condemned”—it’s a solemn word with heavy consequences. Often, it precedes the words “to die.” Condemned to die. Condemnation conveys hopelessness. In Scripture, the word describes physical death accompanied by spiritual and eternal death as well.

If you want to look ahead, you must look back. I am not talking about living in the past. That’s foolish and fruitless. I am talking about learning from the past in order to embrace the future with confidence. How has God met your needs? How has God worked in the past? How has God delivered when you were up against a wall? In the first part of today’s passage, Asaph recorded his desperate pleas in the night. He was alone and afraid. He felt God had forgotten him. Then he collected his thoughts and focused on God’s past work.