Jump Start # 640

Psalms 33:17 “A horse is a false hope for victory; nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength”

Our passage today speaks of hope. Hope is as important to life as oxygen. It’s what keeps people going. Without hope all is lost. When miners are trapped underground and rescuers stop their search, all hope is lost. When a doctor determines that nothing more can be done to save a patient, all hope is lost. When a person doesn’t have hope they give up. The student who has no hope of passing a class will quit trying. He may even drop the class. There is no hope he declares. When a team is getting beat so badly that there is no hope of a victory, they often pull the starters and let the guys who sit on the bench in the game. On election night, when a candidate realize that he has no hope of winning, he will concede the race.

Hope is motivation. Hope is future. Hope is believing that things can and will get better. Some don’t see much difference between hope and wishing. There is when it comes to the Bible. A wish may be a fantasy, a pipe dream, waving the magic wand type of thinking. We can spend time dreaming what we would do if an unknown rich uncle left us millions. The reality is that we don’t have an unknown uncle and if we did, he’d most likely try to bum money off of us! Hope is not like that. Hope is substance. It is based upon true facts and real promises. In the Bible hope is built upon a God who cannot lie. Prophecies and promises were more than guesses and wishes, they were things that could be counted upon. They were going to happen because God said so.

I expect there are many folks who wish that they would go to Heaven when they die. For them, it is a wish, not much differently than wishing that some unknown uncle would leave them millions. Fortune cookies, wishing upon stars, rabbit’s foot, good luck charm, four leaf clover are nothing more than pipe dreams that have no basis, substance or hope. There’s nothing to them. There’s nothing behind them. There is no power in them.

Our passage identifies another type of hope—a false hope. It’s false because it’s based upon the wrong thing. It’s based upon that which cannot be counted upon. “A horse is a false hope for victory…” It picture here is not a horse race, but a battle. Those with horses, we call that a cavalry, are swifter and can cover more territory than the foot soldier, or the infantry. But a horse is a false hope. The horse can be injured or killed. The horse can fail. The horse isn’t a sure thing. Just because you have an army with horses does not mean you will win the battle. History tells us that. Custer had horses. He and his men were killed at Little Big Horn. Placing your hope on the horse is a false hope.

There are other things that are false hopes.

Money is a false hope. We save, invest, plan and hope that it will be there for our future. The market’s up and down and it makes our nerves go up and down. Money is a false hope.

Power is a false hope. Strength can do things, but it can’t be depended upon. Our passage states that. A strong nation can fall. A great team can be beaten. The underdogs do win from time to time. Strength fails. The unbelievable happens. Upsets and the unexpected are part of life. A person can’t count upon strength for their hope.

People are a false hope. People let us down. They get busy. They forget. They break promises. We see this in marriages. We see this in business deals. We get disappointed because others do not live up to what they said.

God is a sure hope. He never lies. He keeps His promises. He fulfills all that He said. He loves. He is compassionate. He is Almighty. Our hope lies with God. With God, Paul said, I can do all things. God forgives. God opens doors. God restores. God heals.

This is why we pray. Because our hope lies with God. This is why we trust God—He knows. He can. He does.

There just isn’t many things that can be counted upon any more. Things change. Things just aren’t the way they used to be. We can count upon God. Heaven is more than a wish for those who walk with God. Paul knew that He had a crown awaiting him. He knew because God had promised. His hope was based upon that who does not change. God is a rock, not a small rock, but a massive mountain. He remains through the ages. He is there during the harsh times. He is there through the bountiful harvests, the cool springs, and the bitter winters. He remains. He can be counted upon.

Hope—you gotta have it but you need to make sure that it’s in the right thing. Don’t be counting upon horses to get the job done. They’ll fail you at the moment you need them the most. God is the one that you can count upon. He’s on the throne and will never leave it!

Roger