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                Verses five to eight of Psalm sixty-two read this way:

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone.  He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.

                Where is your hope for the future? In difficult times people become desperate for hope. When inflation steals away buying power people who were perhaps already struggling financially become desperate for a solution. Sometimes they place their hope in a new political leader.  Others are tormented with a recent cancer diagnosis and have heightened anxiety about death and what comes after. Perhaps their only hope lies in their belief that they have been a decent person, managed to do a few, perhaps a lot of good deeds throughout their lifetime.

                Life’s storms will come our way. It is simply a fact of life for the believer. In John Chapter fifteen verses nineteen and twenty Jesus makes this unpleasant reality clear to his disciples. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you.

                The Psalmist David had considerable bad times in his life. Adored by come, hunted like an animal at times by Saul. Sometimes enjoyed luxurious living and at other times went hungry. Faced down wild animals, and a jealous king who wanted him murdered. Lots to be anxious about! On many occasions it seemed that he would be shortly experiencing death and what came after.

                But David says: ‘let all that I am wait quietly on the Lord’. I like to think that the word ‘quietly’ here is not about the opposite of noise but rather about the peace that can only come from God in tumultuous times. In the middle of the storm, in the conflict and battles David put his hope squarely on the rock, the fortress, the refuge, his God.

                In Isaiah 28:16 (NLT) Isaiah prophecies about the coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus. “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on.  Whoever believes need never be shaken.” We do well to reflect on where our hope is. Are we hoping that good deeds and a nice person reputation will quality us for a place in heaven? Those are admirable traits, but it is only by putting our faith and hope in the blood of Jesus that we can qualify! Place your faith in him! Are you anxious about the trials and tribulations of life? Put your hope and faith in Jesus, your rock, your fortress your refuge.                                                                                                                       Pastor Dave