Psalm 31:24 (NKJV): Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.
David knew from experience what it meant to hope in the Lord. For 14 years, he was chased by jealous King Saul through the wilderness. Despite the terror, he waited on God for the fulfillment of His promise—to reign over Israel as king. David had found a living hope in God.
‘Be of good courage, or in other words, be strong in the Lord and be confident in His promises, which will never fail. When we are confident in Him, difficulties and trials cannot assail us. David’s fear was very real. “For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life.” (Psalm 31:13) Sometimes, it feels like we have numerous opponents, too, and we can hear their whispers.
Instead of caving into fear, David took refuge in God’s presence. ‘and He shall strengthen your heart’ – David encourages us to turn to God for supernatural aid. His presence will strengthen our hearts so we won’t be overwhelmed by the whispers.
‘all you who hope in the Lord’ – what is biblical hope? It’s a confident expectation that God will fulfill His promises to us. Often it seems that God doesn’t understand the urgency of our situation. Why isn’t God answering our prayers? These thoughts imply that God is not in control. Yet the Bible assures us in Jeremiah 29:11 that God’s plans, thoughts, and ways have one goal: to give us hope.
Precious saints, if any of us is feeling hopeless today, we know whom to turn to. In Jesus alone, we have a living hope; a hope of eternal life. So, let’s set our hearts and minds in the Heavenly places, and not on worthless earthly treasures (Colossians 3:1-2).
