Psalm 65

“You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas.”
Psalm 65:5 (NLT) 

The late Hal Lindsey once said, “Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air...but only one second without hope.” So let me ask you. How is your hope quota? Are you filled with hope? Do you have confidence even in an uncertain world that God is working all things together for your good, or has the uncertainty of life shaken your faith and left you feeling hopeless? I love what the Psalmist said in Psalm 65:5 (NLT), “You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas.”

King David wrote that Psalm. He believed God was the hope of everyone on earth because he had experienced God as his Savior and Shepherd. David was speaking both personally and prophetically in this Psalm. He understood that God had chosen Israel to be a light to the Gentiles that would ultimately be fulfilled in the coming of Christ, the Messiah! Jesus Christ is our Blessed Hope – the only hope of the world! Have you experienced the hope He offers in a hopeless world? Another Old Testament prophet named Jeremiah did. In Jeremiah 14:8 (NLT), he wrote, “O Hope of Israel, our Savior in times of trouble….” Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 42:4 (NLT) that “His name will be the hope of all the world!”

David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and many of the people of Israel experienced that hope. Have you? In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul says something striking about hope in Ephesians 2:12 (NLT) when he connects hope exclusively with God. He writes, “In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.” Did you catch the connection? When we are without God, we are without hope! Isn’t it time you experienced real hope?  You can. The promise given to Abraham was fulfilled in Bethlehem! Jesus Christ is our Blessed Hope!

As you read Psalm 65, give thanks that…

• He is the Savior for our sins! Verse 3 says, “Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, You forgive them all.”

• He hears and answers our prayers! Verse 5 tells us, “You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds….”

• He provides for all our needs! See verses 9 to 13

Is it any wonder that Jesus is the hope of all the world? Have you put your hope in Him? Receive Him as your Savior and experience blessed hope!  

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To read this devotional online or catch up on past ones, visit https://kerryshook.org/blog.

Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.

Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.