Ultimate Hope

Daily Reading: Isaiah 22

Scripture Focus: In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, the peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way, and it will be cut down and fall, and the load that was on it will be cut off, for the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 22.25)

Devotional Thought: During the COVID-19 pandemic, people placed their hope on many things:

·       Social distancing

·       Facemasks

·       Hand washing

·       Quarantining

·       Hydroxychloroquine

·       Government

My wife and I personally determined that we would do what we could to avoid exposure to the corona virus.  We certainly didn't want to tempt fate.  We understood, however, that all our caution could be undone in a moment out of our control.  Ultimately, we came to the place that we put our hope in the Lord.  With our hope in God, we knew that we could "weather the storm" even if we contracted COVID-19.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of false hope that had been placed in Eliakim, the Jerusalem ambassador who had been given the responsibility of negotiations with the invading Assyrians.  The residents of Jerusalem had seen how God had elevated him to a position of trust.  They naturally placed their hope in him.  But, God warned the Jerusalemites that no man could bear the load of their hope.  Eliakim would eventually break under the strain.

What about you?  In what do you place your hope?  It is good to take appropriate measures to ensure your safety.  It is right to seek the help of trusted friends and advisers.  But ultimately, the only hope that will last is our hope in Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the handholds of hope that you give me in times of uncertainty.  But help me to remember, Lord, that these handholds are meant to help me put my trust in you alone.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 55.1-8

1 Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!

2 Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan,

3 because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

4 My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

5 Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.

6 And I say, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest;

7 yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah

8 I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest."