Rejoicing in Hope
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Over break God has has taught me though his word few things, I needed to relearn.
one of which is to rejoice in hope and be patient in tribulation. Just a simple phrase from Romans chapter 12, yet it carries so, so much bearing on the Christian life.
who is Asaph in scripture?
King James Version Chapter 12
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation
we will not be looking primarly at romans today, but we will use it as our backdrop to discuss a pslamist who lost sight of this hope, so he fell to dispare, and who on alsot stumbled fell from enduring trhough tribulation.
“The pslam beggins with the conclison” - Unknon.
I want us to look at a Psalm of a man who lost sight of this hope who almost slipped and gave up his patatient endrece but who ultimayly was lead by God to repenatce and hope.
English Standard Version Psalm 73
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
What i Love about this psalm and what i love about Asaph, is that it and he is real… He is real with us. It shows us the weakness of Asaph, a leader of worship in in the congregation of God. Yet he almost stumbled, He alsmost slipped… But God beinf rich in mercy lead him to the congrication of God to bring him answer to bring Him hope. he showed Asaph the end of those who are in rebelaion aginst God, those who do not repent. and God shows Asaph His reality, and his end. God shows Asaph that He is with Him all his days God never left Him but was actualy guiding hIm exsactly where he needed to Go. thogh aspash was an anamial towards God, God was still guiding his hands. and then God showed asaph that when all is said and done, the wicked will be no more. but he Asaph would be carried to Glory. and then and only then can aspah decalrie, whome do i have in heaven but you??? and there is none on earth that i deaire besieds you. my flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the stergnth of my heart and my portion forever.
Asaph was able to rejoice in His hope of a futre becasue he knew who held the future, and he was then able to be patient in tribulation becasue he knew who was with Him in the tribulation. and ultiamtly asaph was able to blast His repentace to the whole of isreal, and we have his repentace psalm with us today to show us taht God has always been faithful to his people, that God is good to theose who are pure in heart.
God dealt with aspah like one would a child. we all are like children at times with God and asaph was no exseption. that pharse nevertelss i was with you; you hold my right hand, you guide me with your council. all i can think of is a father after a child has had his temepter tanturn holding his son’s right hand and showing his son the end of those peoepl he was jellosu over. i dont knwo about you but i have expreinced this love of God before, there have been a couple times in my life where i can remeber just loosing sight of what was imprtant and fllly complaing before God about my situaition, and the apparent lack of trouble with those who are in a diffent sencario than i am. and each time he has gudied me with his rigth hand. each time he has pointed me back to the truth and and called on me to decaelre with aspah, whom do i have in heaven but you? and there is nothing on earth i desire besides you. my flesh and my heart may fail but God you are the strength of my heart.
These are the passages we need wehn things get tough. these are the passages that are going to renew our minds, the ones that will
What does this mean for you and me? it means that if one of David’s key leaders Got down in the dumpes over the state of his life, chanes are so will we. yet just like Asaph we are called, Challanged and admosnied in those times to look to the only one who can answer our pangs, who can answer the wierness of our felsh. We are called to look to the God of [endurance and encouragement]. in our time of need to see that our pain, our suffering our heartace is only a light momentayr affliction and one day we will be taken to be in GLORY with GOD OUR GOD.
This may be true but what a wonderful thing to be rebujed by the Lord, better is open rebuke than hidden love. and The lord discaplaines those whome he loves and chases thsoe who he calls sons. But aspah lost sight of the purpose of that rebuke, to make him rely on the hope he has in glory.
To end this devoational i’d love for you all to trun to revealtion chapter 7:9 to see what kind of Glroy Aspah was speaking of.
In it we see evey tribe and antion and toung on the eaeth, the elders adn teh seriphen all bowing donw to worship God in heaven.
are y’all there?
Revelation 7:9–12 “After these things I looked, and behold, a great crowd that no one was able to number, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes and with palm branches in their hands. And they were crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Praise and glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!””
This was the glory of which Aspash spoke, whom do we have in heavn but Him? and what on earth shall we desire besides him… our heart and our flesh may fail, but this GOD… OUR GOD is the strenghth of our heart and our portion forever. amen!