Hope and Praise

A phrase in the famous and beloved Christmas song, "O Holy Night" tells us:

"The thrill of hope
A weary world rejoices"

As the joy of that first Christmas day approaches, we are filled with praise and hope.

The following devotional fits perfectly.

Christine

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Monday, December 10

Praise and Hope

But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more.
Psalm 71:14


Recommended Reading
Psalm 130:1-8


See if you can find one Christian, just one, who is filled with praise for the Lord—but is hopeless. Or, see if you can find one who is hopeful about the present and future but never praises the Lord. Hope and praise seem to go together in the Christian life—and why shouldn't they? For the Christian, to have hope is consistent with having faith in a gracious God, meaning He is worthy of praise. One flows naturally from the other.

The psalmist combined these two elements when he found himself in the hand of "the wicked . . . the unrighteous and cruel man" (Psalm 71:4). In spite of his dire situation, he said he would continue to hope and would praise the Lord "more and more" (verse 14). The more the psalmist hoped, the more he praised; and the more he praised, the more he hoped! It was a self-perpetuating cycle with each virtue stimulating the other. What about you? If you find yourself hopeful but lacking praise, check the object of your hope. If you're praising but lacking hope, check the object of your praise.

Praise keeps hope alive while hope becomes a reason for praise.


Be not afraid of saying too much in the praises of God . . . . All the danger is of saying too little. -
Matthew Henry

Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Peter 1:1 - 2:25

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