Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word. Psalm 119:74
When we endure trials and face the choice to hope in God’s Word or not, we may tend to weigh that choice in mainly personal terms: what will happen to me in my life if I cling to God’s Word? Or, what will happen to me in my life if I don’t? While this is certainly an appropriate consideration, the psalmist in Psalm 119:74 considers how his hope would affect others. We should likewise consider how our hope impacts those around us.
The fact is that our hope in God’s Word is beneficial to the believers around us.
First, what is it to hope in God’s Word? It is to think, to live, to speak, to act in the conviction that God’s Word will prove true. His promises will come to pass. People who hope in God’s Word seek first the kingdom even when in material need (Matt 6:25-34). They don’t despair when they receive a terminal diagnosis, knowing that in the end, He heals all diseases (Psa 103:3). They don’t curl up in bitterness when wronged, but bless those who hurt them, believing that God is just (Rom 12:14-21). They don’t hide their sin, but run to Christ for forgiveness, believing that His grace overwhelms their trespasses (Rom 5:20-21). They don’t despair in the fight for godliness, but work out their salvation, believing that God Himself is at work in them for His own pleasure (Phil 2:12-13).
Conversely, to hope in God’s Word is to put away all worldly “hopes” and false refuges. Those who hope in God’s Word do not drown their sorrows, construct identities, or abandon the race. There is no need for these things because God’s Word will prove true.
Who is affected by our hope in God’s Word? Could be many groups of people. However, the psalmist mentions one in particular: those who fear God. In other words, believers will be affected. Those who fear God are believers. We know this since Romans 3:18 says of the lost, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Only the believer fears God in the sense intended here.
Those believers most likely to be affected by our hope are those believers with whom we are doing life. In narrowing concentric circles, they are our fellow church members, our closest friends within that church, our family, and our believing spouse. These people will be impacted by our thinking, living, speaking, and acting in the conviction that God’s Word will prove true.
How will they be affected? First, they see. “Those who fear you shall see me…” This alone affects them. It influences a person to see an example of a someone living out the conviction that God’s Word will prove true. Such examples communicate a number of things. Here are just four.
(a) They see a reminder of the specific truth or truths upholding the one being watched. For example, in the case of the one who has received a terminal diagnosis yet who joyfully continues serving the Lord and others, observers are reminded that a better healing awaits. (b) They see the reasonability or plausibility of the truth involved. In other words, they see with their eyes that the Bible promises things on which reasonable people found their lives. (c) They see the real life import of the truth. God’s Word does not just deal in abstract ideas, but touches the daily lives of believers and guides their thinking, affections, speech, and actions. (d) They see a real life example of hope in action. That is, they observe not just what hope is, but what hope does, how hope responds to difficulty, trial, disappointment, etc.
Second, they rejoice. Remember these are believers, so they do not just obverve our hope dispassionately. They fear God, so their hearts rejoice at our living in the conviction that God’s Word will prove true. The immediate reasons could be manifold. Here are just a handful…
(a) They rejoice because God is magnified as a trustworthy promise-keeper. (b) They rejoice at the promises having their intended effect—sustaining us during times of difficulty. (c) Out of their love for us, they rejoice at our obedience and its associated blessings. (d) They rejoice that their own faith is strengthened at the sight of our hope. (e) They rejoice at the Lord’s provision of faith and strength. (f) They rejoice that they have set their hope on the same sure foundation.
What should we do? First, we should be all the more faithful in our study of the Word. We can’t hope in truths with which we are unfamiliar. Second, we should pray for a growing faith and hope in the promises. Third, we should pray for (and meditate toward) an awareness of how our hope affects others. Fourth, we should endure seasons of testing/trial with these things in mind, being slower to be free from any particular difficulty. Our trials likely are drawing the gaze of other believers, providing us an opportunity to hope in the Word in front of them unto their blessedness and rejoicing.
What is the major trial in your life right now? In what ways are you being called to think and act in accordance with God’s promises? The blessings of doing so come not only to you, but to those around you. May the Lord bless you with an awareness of how your hope will affect those watching you.
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