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Psalm 129 Memory and Hope

by fol CHURCH on November 26, 2021

Israel lived and still lives on a diet of memory and hope. The memory of the myriad hurts of the past and the hope of something better to come. Although there’s more than a little hint of a desire for revenge in this Psalm too.

The problem is that the story of God’s people is and has always been one of opposition. That is because God’s sovereignty is always opposed. Look at the state of the church in the world today and you’ll see that it is far from thriving. In fact over the last few decades it has been attacked and battered by all manner of scandals and accusations, crises and failings. So much so that it’s a wonder that it remains at all.

The truth is that Israel has been troubled with disobedience and faithlessness through the generations and the Christian church has been dogged by its own issues since its inception. There in the memory of those things is couched the pain of those failures along with the pain of the persecutions that have been endured. It is the story of the Bible and the story of God’s people throughout history. It’s a story that Jesus spoke about “Whoever would follow must take up his cross and walk.” (Matt 16:24 – my paraphrase) Living a life of faith in God is not easy. It will bring opposition.

But it is also a life that is lived in the hope that one day it will be better. For Israel the hope is that one day the promised Messiah will finally come (a promise we Christians believe was honoured in the coming of Jesus) and for the Christian church it is the hope that at the end of time and all things will come a new beginning. It is hope – the hope of something better.

V.4 “But the Lord is righteous; he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.” The hop-e is founded in the knowledge that God sees all things, that he has intervened before and that he can and will do it again. It is hope that remains in the times of deepest darkness, it is hope that perseveres in the depths of desperation. It is hope because God knows all things and God is powerful and loving. It is hope because Jesus has come and will come again. It is hope because scripture tells us that there will be a new beginning (See Revelation 21) and that Jesus will come again!

 

 

 

 

 

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What are you hoping for in this season? What do your prayers hope for? What are you pressing into God to receive?

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