Today, we are on psalm 33 and in it, the psalmist offers a sobering and powerful lesson. I think his point is best articulated in verses 16-19.

He says, “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 the Lord 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.”

Have you ever put your hope in the wrong thing before? Whether it was a person, an idea, a scheme, a business or something else, I’m sure at least most of us have had that experience before. It’s an awful thing to go through. Hope is a powerful commodity and when it is broken, those experiences can define us. In those moments, it is easy to resolve never to trust again. We might decide that in such a broken and messed up world, hope is an ideal that we can’t afford to cling to…it’s just too costly and risky.

While I understand that conclusion, I disagree with it wholeheartedly. The psalmist is telling us where to put our hope if we don’t want it to be disappointed…in the God of heaven who cannot fail. This psalm also points out how futile it is to have our confidence in worldly resources. While I’m pretty sure that no one reading this blog has a strong horse or an army, I’m sure you get the point. Our “horse” or “army” might look different, but we still have them.

I’m tempted to put my trust in my education and past success. I tend to look to my reputation and popularity as well. I also look to my finances to bring me a sense of security. While all of these aspects of my life are pretty good, I dare not put my hope in them. I can lose my job and my money. My closest friends could easily let me down and not come through when I need them to. My success and reputation could vanish like a vapor. My good health could go away without any warning. I don’t wish these things on myself, but you never know what might happen.

So where do I put my hope? I know that God loves me dearly and that he’s watching over my family. While I don’t expect that everything is going to go exactly as I have planned, I trust that God has my best interest at heart. I trust that even if he does something or allows something to happen in my life that I don’t like, that he thought it through and that it will prove to be used for my good and his glory (Romans 8:28). These are not just words for me. This is where I’ve staked my life and eternity. I don’t know of another place to go…I don’t know of another worthy place to put my hope. I hope you have hope and more importantly, I hope it’s in the right place.