If I’m not aware, I set my hope merely on outcomes.
In crisis, I hope for change. In good times, I hope things never change.
But scripture speaks to the freedom and wholeness that comes when we set our hope on God Himself.
Transcript
Today, we are going to take a “Posture of Peace” by setting our hope not on a specific outcome, but on God Himself.
Posture is a short, audible fist bump to remind you, God is with you in everything. Together, we’re going to be emboldened to take a daily posture of perfect peace.
In Psalm 42:5, it says, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? Why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall praise Him again, my salvation.” I realized if I’m not aware so much of my hope gets set on outcomes, in hard situations, it sounds something like this. Gosh, I hope we can get through this. I hope this doesn’t get any worse. I hope this all ends soon. And in good situations, it sounds a little bit like this. I hope this last, I hope I can maintain this. Gosh, I hope they don’t change their minds. In crisis, I’m hoping for change, and in good times, I’m hoping things never change. But when scripture talks about hope, it specifically speaks to the freedom and the wholeness that comes when we set our hope on God Himself, no matter what is changing or what is not changing.
Hope is expectation, and so much of the world’s expectations right now are absorbed in the next news report, the next guideline change, the next policy. The very best that the world can hope for is for a different outcome, a more positive spin. And they’re being disappointed, they’re being put to shame, they’re being depleted, but we the people of God have a different expectation. Romans five says that, our hope does not put us to shame. So what are you hoping for today? What have you set your hope on? What has consumed your thoughts lately? What has dictated your prayers? Don’t let it be an outcome, let it be the very nature of God. When you do that, let me tell you what’s going to happen. Isaiah tells us about this, Isaiah 40:31 says, “But they who wait or expect for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.”
The promise of “Perfect Peace” is found in Isaiah 26:3. In Hebrew, it is “shalom, shalom.” Meaning, complete wholeness. Nothing missing, nothing broken. This is who you are in Jesus. Because of Jesus, you are a living testimony of Jesus’s ultimate win. With every step you take today, you’re putting Jesus’s victory on display and satan’s defeat on replay.