Read: Psalm 71
For you, O Lord, are my hope. (v. 5)
There’s an expression that refers to being between a rock and a hard place. When I was younger and my parents used this expression, I didn’t quite understand it—until I hit a moment when life seemed to close in, the whole world seemed against me, and I was squeezed between two unmovable forces. I faced a difficult choice between my health and a career. I felt stuck until I remembered to look up, beyond the obstacles, to God and his priorities for my life. The storms of life test us, seek to deceive, raise doubts, and cast us into despair, but there’s always a way out.
Psalm 71 is a welcome comfort for those enduring trials. Even when our faith may waver and hang by a thread, Psalm 71 encourages us by reminding us God is the source of our hope (v. 14). He’s the source of our confidence that something good can emerge even from disappointment and heartache (vv. 20-21). Like the psalmist, we must be honest about the burden of our pain and suffering to God, lean on him, and look up to him. He is our refuge, our strength, and our salvation.
By leaning our weight into God, we are showing our trust in him. And when that weight is lifted, we’ll find joy in knowing that his promises overwhelm the present challenges we face. God will restore us, even as he restored the psalmist. And he will comfort us, his presence there, always.
As you pray, ask how you can look forward with hope.
About the Author
Ariana D. Den Bleyker is a Pittsburgh native currently residing in New York’s Hudson Valley. She is the author of two devotional poetry collections,To Be Held by the LightandWaking in the Light. She is an ordained deacon in the Reformed Church of America.
