Cultivating Hope in Our Hearts

Hope is “a desire of good, with some expectation of obtaining it. Hope differs from wish and desire in that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired. Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may be accompanied with pain and anxiety.”¹

As Christians, hope is our way of expressing confidence in God’s Word, God’s character and in God’s promises. Hope joins with faith and love in belief that God holds us, our situation and our future in His hands.

As we approach Easter, we remember Jesus’ betrayal and great suffering on Friday; the disciples fear and trembling on Saturday; and His victorious resurrection on Sunday.

Whether we are currently in a season of trial, in a season of quiet rest, in a season of harvest, in a great battle or a combination of these, we know He will never leave us, nor forsake us, and He will guide our steps regarding the future.

In the book of Psalms, David shares his innermost thoughts which include his valleys of desperation, and his mountain tops of faith. Throughout the Psalms, we see David’s ability to hope because of the trust he has in the God of Hope. We too can have hope because our hope is based on Who God is, not our circumstances.

Praying with the Psalms

David wrote many of the psalms as prayers. We can imitate him by personalizing the psalms by changing the “me” into our name or the name of someone we are praying for in this hour.

For example, Psalms 51:10-12 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Don’t throw me from Your presence, and don’t take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation. Uphold me with a willing spirit.”²

We can personalize David’s prayer by inserting our name, a family member’s name, or a friend’s name.

Create in “Susan” a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within her.

Cast “Susan” not away from Your presence, O Lord, and take not Your Holy Spirit from her.

Restore the joy of Your salvation to “Susan”, and uphold her with a willing spirit.

Another example is Psalms 33:20-22, “Our inner selves wait [earnestly] for the Lord; He is our Help and our Shield. For in Him does our heart rejoice, because we have trusted (relied on and been confident) in His holy name. Let Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us, in proportion to our waiting and hoping for You.”³

“Peter” earnestly waits for You, O Lord. You are His Help and Shield.

“Peter” places his trust, reliance and confidence in Your holy name, and in You does his heart rejoice.

Let Your mercy and loving-kindness be upon “Peter” for he waits and hopes in You, O Lord.

In this manner, we lift His Word to Him on behalf of ourselves, our families, our friends, our neighbors, our colleagues, and even strangers.

15 Psalms of Hope

“You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. With my voice I cry to the Lord, and He hears and answers me out of His holy hill. I lay down and slept; I wakened again, for the Lord sustains me.” ~Psalms 3:3-6 AMPC

“O my God, I trust, lean on, rely on, and am confident in You. Let me not be put to shame or [my hope in You] be disappointed; let not my enemies triumph over me. Yes, let none who trust and wait hopefully and look for You be put to shame or be disappointed; let them be ashamed who forsake the right or deal treacherously without cause. Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths.” ~Psalm 25:3 AMPC

“The righteous cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” ~Psalms 34:17-18 NASB

“For I hope in You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God.” ~Psalm 38:15 NASB

“Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise Him for the saving help of His presence.” ~Psalm 42:5 WEB

“What time I am afraid, I will have confidence in and put my trust and reliance in You.” ~Psalm 56:3 AMPC

“Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the grasp of the unrighteous and ruthless man. For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust from my youth and the source of my confidence. I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more.” ~Psalms 71:4-5, 14 AMPC

“For He will put His angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.” ~Psalm 91:11 WEB

“I love the Lord, because He hears [and continues to hear] My voice and my supplications (my pleas, my cries, my specific needs).” ~Psalm 116:1 AMP

“Remember [fervently] the word and promise to Your servant, in which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort and consolation in my affliction: that Your word has revived me and given me life.” ~Psalms 119:49-50 AMPC

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.” ~Psalms 121:1-3 NASB

“The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever.” ~Psalms 121:7-8 NASB

“Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.” ~Psalms 126:5 WEB

“I wait for the Lord, I expectantly wait, and in His word do I hope.” ~Psalm 130:5 AMPC

“The Lord favors those who fear and worship Him [with awe-inspired reverence and obedience], those who wait for His mercy and lovingkindness.” ~Psalms 147:11 AMP

Prayers for Hope

Lord, we thank you for hope that does not disappoint. You have plans to prosper us and plans to give us hope and a future. Even when we are pressed on every side, we are not crushed. When we are perplexed, we do not despair. When we are knocked down, we are not destroyed. For You are our God and You never leave us. Lord, You are God in our midst, a Might One, a Savior! You rejoice over us with joy! As the God of Hope, may You fill us with “all joy and peace in believing that by the power of the Holy Spirit we may abound and be overflowing with hope.”⁴

Recommendations:

5 Easy Steps to Cultivate Joy in the Lord 5 Easy Steps to Cultivate Joy in the Lord – Strength with Dignity

6 Spring Bible Verses on God’s Provision 6 Spring Bible Verses on God’s Provision – Strength with Dignity

References:

¹ Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. Retrieved April 4, 2022, from Websters Dictionary 1828 – Webster’s Dictionary 1828 – Hope

² Psalm 51:10-12 WEB

³ Psalms 33:20-22 AMPC

⁴ Romans 5:5; Jeremiahs 29:11; 2 Corinthians 4:8-9; Zephaniah 3:17; Romans 15:13 AMPC

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