Hope That Never Fails

"When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.
Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
Psalm 27:10-14

A verse the Lord has brought to my attentionat least a couple of times in the last few weeks or so is verse 10 of Psalm 27: “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.”

If you don’t know my life, or even if you do, you may not know how little of my parents I saw while I was growing up. My dad was often not home, sometimes for days at a time. And though my mother was there physically, emotionally and mentally she was not. I was basically left to fend for myself most of the time. I still feel the loneliness of it to this day. And my God knows my heart and He is gently and compassionately reminding me that I am not alone. He is always with me and I take comfort in that.

In verse 10 where it says, “then Jehovah will take me up,” the words “take me up” mean to gather for any purpose. God gathers His children to Himself for His divine purposes. I need not fear that I am left to fend for myself ever again, for I have the Lord God Himself as my mother and my father. He will look after me and will take care of me. He has a divine purpose for my life and though I seem to lack the foresight of what those purposes are, I know He is weaving together something that will be beautiful in His perfect timing.

Perhaps you, too, need to be reminded that you are not alone. That if you are a child of God through His Son Jesus Christ, then God is your parent, your spouse, your caretaker, your brother, your friend. Everything we have need of is found in our Heavenly Father. And the events of your life are being skillfully woven together, as well, and God is making of them something beautiful to behold.

And He goes on to give us still more hope when He says, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, (this means to hold onto, as to the Lord) and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”

No matter what the day may bring, we can hope in the Lord. We will see the goodness of the Lord as long as our eyes are focused on Him. Do not look around for hope elsewhere, for it will always fail. But God will never fail.