Early Saturday morning, before the sun came up on the day before Easter, I read Psalm 71. It had been selected for the devotional our church was reading.

Psalm 71 begins with a desperate cry for help and hiding. The psalmist longs to be hidden with the Lord and away from evil enemies who seek to harm him. No doubt, the disciples huddled in the upper room gripped by grief and despair, might have cried out to the Lord in similar ways.

Where do we go when everything has gone wrong and we’ve ended up on the losing side of things? Or so it seems on Saturday.  

This will not be an isolated scenario in a broken world where people fail us. On this side of heaven, we will periodically sit in a dark room, waiting for God to show us the way over and over. It might also be a prolonged season of uncertainty, false starts, and further failures.  

A prescription for holding onto hope

Halfway through Psalm 71, the tone changes, and hope filters in through a crack in the curtains. What follows is a prescription for holding onto hope in dark situations.

14 As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.
15 My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long— though I know not how to relate them all.
16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
17 Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.
(Psalm 71:14-18 NIV)

Praising

Verse 14 stands as a necessary declaration over my soul. Even when I can’t see the outcome or the upturn, I can praise the Lord more and more. How often does listening to the praise music and singing along transform my outlook?

Remembering & Reminding

Verses 15 & 16 remind me to remember because we are a forgetful people. A sort of amnesia comes over me during trials, and I fail to consider God’s track record in my life. I must choose to remind myself of God’s righteous deeds and saving acts. God is working things together in mysterious ways. God’s work is not limited by my ability to understand like the psalmist says, “though I know not how to relate them all.” (Psalm 71:15b)

I will also need to do this in the community. Sometimes, a friend or family member needs me to hold space for his or her hope by sharing our memories. The idea of proclamation creates the picture of me using every place I have influence in to testify about the Lord.

• Do my social media posts reflect my hope in Christ?
• Do the birthday cards I send shine the light of the Gospel?
• Do my conversations foster a sense of God’s faithful care of me and those around me?
• Do my text messages edify others?
• Do my prayers (in public and private) feature thankfulness for all God has done and is doing?
• Do I remind others of God’s faithfulness?

Persisting

Verse 17 points to the benefits of having a long-standing and persistent relationship with the Lord. I have been walking with him since I was a teenager. Not everyone has that privilege. Some people arrived much later in their lives to faith. A long-standing relationship with the Lord is a gift, but it also requires ongoing nurturing in a faith community, in the word of God, and in prayer.

Passing On

Verse 18 charges me to share my faith with the next generation. I don’t believe the Lord allows us to retire from this work. Anyone at any age can still influence the next generation with encouragement, prayer, and service. Playing an active and unique role in the discipleship of grandchildren and little ones in our faith communities is an ultimate privilege. We are called to actively pass on our faith.

How will you hold onto hope?

During this Easter season, how will you hold onto hope and be a beacon light for a watching world? How will you live faithfully as an Easter people?