“May
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that
you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13
“Therefore,
my heart rejoiceth . . . my flesh
moreover shall dwell in hope.”
–Psalm
16:9 Darby Translation Bible
Last
week in a phone conversation, my dear friend described an experience she had a
couple of years ago as “being on the sharp edge of hopelessness.” As she
comforted and encouraged me, I told myself I was not in that place. Discouraged.
Frustrated. Overwhelmed. Weary. Unfortunately, that sounds dangerously close to
hopelessness to me. Perhaps that’s why for months now God has encouraged me to
focus on the word hope. It became a theme in my hand-lettering art and one day
while looking for inspiration, I stumbled upon Psalm 16:9, which in the Darby
translation ends “my flesh moreover shall dwell in hope.”
As
the pandemic continues unabated and violent riots have swept the country like a
scourge, I have continued to meditate on the verse. Strong’s Concordance says the
word for “dwell” in Psalm 16:9 comes from the Hebrew yis-kon which is used to
mean “to settle down, abide, to dwell.” It’s a strong word with the connotation
not only of really living and being very present within a place, but it also speaks
of contentment and peace.
The
words “in hope” are lā-ḇe-ṭaḥ which Strong’s defines as “securely.” In the
Bible, hope often is connected to faith which stems from our choice to trust
God. Therefore, we can have hope and rest secure when we trust in God’s perfect,
unchanging character and His eternal, unfailing love. As Savior, Redeemer, and
Healer, Jesus is the very embodiment of hope so choosing to “remain, abide, and
settle down” in His presence is choosing to dwell in the only secure source of
living, lasting hope.
