Psalm 42:11: A Storm of Hope

Psalm 42:11 “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

The night is dark and the wind howls carrying with it the sounds of stray cats fighting over the garbage. The sky is frequently split with the forked tines of lightening and the rolls of thunder give a short and merciful reprieve from the anguished and outraged yowls of the cats.  The only thing that will drive the strays away is the oncoming storm which will hit with all the rage that a mid-western summer storm can muster.  Sitting on my chair it seems that the night will never end and the storm is consuming the whole world.

Many of you have experienced storms like this which happened this last summer. These heavy storms are always such an appropriate metaphor for life too.  We describe these storms with words such as rage, fury, anger, desperate, dismay,  crashing, sudden, destructive, cataclysmic, and hopeless. How often do we change our perspective and think of the storm as an object of hope?  A flash flood washes away all the temporary and unfixed objects in its path. A tornado destroys homes and towns, a monsoon floods villages and carries away livestock, all destructive acts, but it allows for a chance to rebuild better. When a flood comes after you have rebuilt, you are prepared for it and the strength is there to withstand the destructive forces.  The storms clean the air, giving it that wonderful fresh smell, the storms blow away the garbage that has accumulated on the side of the road or been blown into the trees. The storm's aftermath is full of feelings of renewal and freshness. When we go through a storm we have that confidence, that pure hope that it will end and the world will seem new made.

The word hope is a funny word. When you look it up, the dictionary will say something about it being a desire for something, a yearning, a wish, and a feeling of expectancy. If you look at an old dictionary or the usage of the word in older, more archaic writings however, it's used in place of the words confidence and trust.  You know and have experienced your soul being downcast. The storms that buffet your life seem unending and far to intense for such frail people as you and I. Everything seems to go wrong all at once. You may have lost your job, failed some good friends, lost a loved one, lost your home, misplaced something important, failed a test, find yourself left and surpassed by others, etc. Anything and everything that could go wrong has gone wrong and both Mr. Murphy and his law are having a terribly good time at your expense.

I know you have experienced such a storm as that just as you know that I have. We all have!  Our souls seem so very downcast in those times, but (and this cannot be emphasized enough – BUT!) our hope - the totality of our confidence, trust, and faith - is founded upon the very Lord God Almighty. We may founder in the onslaught of the storm, but we are buttressed and sheltered by our Creator, and we know that there is an end to the storm, to the problems, to the trials and tribulations.  At the end of the storm, when the sun peaks out of the clouds and it's rays warm the earth we will find everything is clean, crisp, fresh, and renewed in our lives. The storm - that metaphor for life - shows us and reminds us more about our true hope than anything else, no matter how bad it seemed at the time. Whatever storms you face shall pass in time and all will be new made.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

 

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.