“Do not be far from me, my God; COME QUICKLY, GOD, TO HELP ME. As for me, I WILL ALWAYS HAVE HOPE; I will praise you more and more.” (Psa. 71:12, 14) Hope comes from the word yaw-chal’: to be patient, to trust, to wait in confidence knowing that our Abba Father is always there, He never, never leaves us, He never, never forsakes us! Therefore we can always have hope!
“My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts ALL DAY LONG…” (Psa. 71:15) We must live on hope because our HOPE WILL NEVER END; knowing that we hope in Him WHO WILL NEVER FAIL US, Abba Father, let our hope in you who will never fail, and for this we praise you more and more! “I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone. SINCE MY YOUTH, GOD, YOU HAVE TAUGHT ME, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.” (Psa. 71:16-17)
The longer we live the more expert we should become in praising God and the more we should flourish in it! “Even when I am old and gray (hey I’m doing that now!!!), DO NOT FORSAKE ME, MY GOD, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.” (Psa. 71:18) When we have said all we can, to the glory of God’s grace, THERE IS STILL MORE TO BE SAID; it is a topic that can never be exhausted, and consequently we should never grow weary of it! “Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things. WHO IS LIKE YOU, GOD?” (Psa. 71:19)
The righteousness that is in God is very extraordinary; all that is done by Him for his people is very excessive: put both together, and we shall say, O GOD! WHO IS LIKE YOU? “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and WE REJOICE IN HOPE OF THE GLORY OF GOD.” (Rom. 5:1,2)
WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD SO WE ARE ABLE TO REJOICE IN HOPE OF THE GLORY OF GOD!
-Bill Stockham