I was listening to some of the audios from my online health classes last week, and a verse really stuck in my head.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12).
Sometimes the circumstances of life fill us with such stress that we literally feel sick. As a friend of mine said recently, “Life is unrelenting, and I want it to stop. The unrelenting part — not the life part!” 🙂
No, we don’t want life to stop, but the unrelenting worries, fears, battles, and torment can go away, and soon!
We try many things to get our hope back. However, Scripture warns us not to seek for relief or help from anyone or anything except the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
In case you’re feeling a little heartsick today, or should you need these sometime in the future, here are some wonderful verses that you can meditate upon when you need a little hope.
“Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in YHWH” (Psalm 31:24).“No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
But the eyes of YHWH are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
We wait in hope for YHWH;
he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love be with us, YHWH,
even as we put our hope in you” (Psalm 33:16-22).“Trust in YHWH and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in YHWH,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.Commit your way to YHWH;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.Be still before YHWH
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in YHWH will inherit the land” (Psalm 37:3-9).“I wait for YHWH, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for YHWH
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Israel, put your hope in YHWH,
for with YHWH is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption” (Psalm 130:5-7).“My heart is not proud, YHWH,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.
Israel, put your hope in YHWH
both now and forevermore” (Psalm 131:1-3).“Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in YHWH their God.
He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
YHWH sets prisoners free,
YHWHgives sight to the blind,
YHWH lifts up those who are bowed down,
YHWH loves the righteous.
YHWH watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked” (Psalm 146:3-9).“[God] covers the sky with clouds;
he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.
He provides food for the cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.
His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
YHWH delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love” (Psalm 147:8-11).“Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
YHWH is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in YHWH
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:28-31).“Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain?
Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No, it is you, YHWH our God.
Therefore our hope is in you,
for you are the one who does all this” (Jeremiah 14:22).“I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:Because of YHWH’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “YHWH is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
YHWH is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of YHWH” (Lamentations 3:19-26).“Do not trust a neighbor;
put no confidence in a friend.
Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
guard the words of your lips.
For a son dishonors his father,
a daughter rises up against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.
But as for me, I watch in hope for YHWH,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me” (Micah 7:5-7).
I encourage you to choose some of these verses to write out on a 3×5 card, and place them where you can repeat them often. As you “hope in His Word” (Psalm 130:5), your heart and strength will be renewed (Isaiah 40:31).
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:6-8).
Hi Anne!!
Thanks for this timely Monday morning message!!
While all those verses are powerful, one specifically speaks to me today.
I have been bouncing between different ‘versions’ of the Bible for various reasons.
Which Bible translation do you use or recommend?
Thanks for who you are!
Oh, that’s a tough question! I have a 1984 NIV that I use and have marked up for over 20 years. So I love it because it’s mine and I know where everything is. But that doesn’t mean that I think it’s the most accurate translation, especially the updated 2011 version. When studying, I use http://e-sword.net and a variety of study tools and translations. My favorites are the KJV, NASB, and ESV. I think if I were to start over today, I’d probably go for the ESV. And then, maybe I should just learn to read Hebrew and Greek so I could read in the original languages. LOL!
Thanks, Anne. I too have often thought about learning Hebrew and Greek 🙂 but until then, I will continue, like you, to use the tools that are so readily available to me….including ESword, which is new to me.
Hugs! Patti
Thank you Anne! Just what I needed this morning! 🙂
God bless you!
Shalom Anne! Thanks for the encouragement!
Elsa