Happy The Soul Whose Hope Is In God
“And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee.”—Psalm 39:7
What a blessing is inward composure of mind; how delightful an exercise is waiting upon the Lord! What a profitable privilege is prayer; how happy the soul whose hope is in God! These are all the sweet attendants upon and promoted by the grace of faith in Christ Jesus. While that grows strong in the soul, we are more lively and comfortable. Hence the disciple’s petition, ‘Lord, increase our faith,’ is daily needful. Then it is well with the soul when it is enabled to make this solemn appeal to its Saviour: Thou, Lord, knowest what I long for, what I wait for, even the spiritual blessings of thy kingdom, to be more inwardly transformed into thine image, to be more perfectly obedient to thy will, and to obtain a more complete victory over my worst foes, sin, Satan, and the world.
Verily the heavenly-instructed soul knows, that all this is of God by Jesus Christ; and that contrary to all this is from the lusts that dwell in him, and the evils that surround him; therefore God alone is his hope. His hope is not in his graces, his feelings, his frames, his comforts, but in the God of all grace; not in the streams, but in the fountain; not in what he has received, but in the infinite fulness which is treasured up in Jesus for the needy. Hope of salvation in Jesus is our helmet, faith guards the heart, hope fortifies the head, hence the Christian lifts up his head in the day of battle, and in the hour of temptation. His head being armed, he dreads not divine wrath, Satan’s terrors, nor the law’s threatenings.
Thou man of God, consult not thy carnal reason; consider not thy body, which is dead because of sin; but know that the Spirit is life, because of righteousness. Though the law is weak through the flesh, yet grace reigns; and through gospel grace thou hast great and precious promises to encourage thee to hope confidently, and the omnipotent power of the Spirit to work in thee, to make thee go on cheerfully, while Jesus is the stay of thine heart to uphold and strengthen thee. Fear not, only believe; greater is Jesus than all thine enemies. Stronger is he who is for us, than all that are against us. Verily thou shalt not be disappointed of thy hope, seeing it is in the Lord. Where Jesus is the object of faith, and the anchor of hope is cast within the veil, that soul shall safely and comfortably weather out every storm, and shall assuredly obtain the haven of eternal rest. By faith we possess the promises, hope expects the perfect fulfillment of them, and in waiting we renew our strength.
My fainting flesh had died with grief,
Had not my soul believed
To see thy grace provide relief;
Nor was my hope deceived.
Wait on the Lord, ye trembling saints,
And keep your courage up;
He’ll raise your spirit when it faints,
And far exceed your hope.
William Mason (1719-1791) was a High-Calvinist author. For many years he served as a Justice of the Peace, and in 1783 was appointed a Magistrate. He served as editor of the Gospel Magazine before and after the editorship of Augustus Toplady. He is best known for a morning and evening devotional entitled, “A Spiritual Treasury For The Children Of God.”
