Hope Instead of Fear

DAY FIVE: Sunday, October 19, 2008

Read: Psalm 31

"So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!" Psalm 31:24 (NLT)

David began composing the 31st Psalm as a very stressed out individual. He doesn't say why his stomach is in knots and his mind dizzied, but his emotional torment is very real.

We've all been there, living with uncertainty because our troubles have demoralized us and left us feeling stranded and insecure.

Where do you go when you don't know what to do next; when you've already done all you know to do and it isn't enough?

David begins this Psalm: "Oh Lord, I have come to you..."

By the time David has poured out his heart to God and prayed for God to be vindicated through the resolution of his predicament, he concludes confidently! His problems and dangers have not changed - but his attitude has!

David concludes, "So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!" Psalm 31:24 (NLT)

Trouble is not a time for the Christ follower to cower in fear. It is not a time for us to lose our way and to be overcome by complications and vulnerabilities. It is not a time to worry and yield to feelings of anxiety and woe. Hope in the Lord can actually make this a time of strength and courage!

Action step for today: Pray the 31st Psalm. Actually read and say these words out loud to God from your heart to His.