“While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:” Psalm 146:2-5
The thing about hope, trust, and praise…
Hope
If you’re a runner, you’re looking at that finish line and hoping to make it. And any runner can tell you, when it starts to get tough, you remember two things: put one foot in front of the other, and BREATHE. It may seem simple, but that is what gets you to the finish line, breathing in and out while you tell your legs to keep going. The thing about hope is it doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s simply looking at the goal and hoping that you will get you there.
Trust
You feel great during the first couple of miles, strong, invincible almost. But as your feet continue to pound the track, each step is heavier, each breath more labored. What do you do when you feel the muscles begin to tremble and your lungs are begging for more air? You keep going, and trust that even as your body blasts down on your heels with the impact of double your own weight, that your legs will still hold you. Your feet will not trip you. Your breathing will not fail you. That’s the thing about trust – hope thinks that your legs are strong enough, but trust takes a step.
Praise
Finally, you cross the finish line. You’ve done something you never thought you could do, and all you want to do is express joy! The thing about praise – it’s outpouring of an inward gratitude and admiration that can’t be held inside. Hope thinks you can do it, trust moves forward believing that you can, and praise recognizes victory and celebrates.
God helps us to understand our Christian lives by comparing it to running a race (1 Corinthians 9:24). He wants us to Hope in Him. Our finish line is Heaven and the rewards that He’s promised with it.
When obeying the Bible becomes hard and we feel like we can’t continue, God wants us to Trust that we can count on Him. Take the step (OBEY) – He’ll provide the strength to meet it. Try not to imagine God carrying you in a long race, but Him surrounding you as you run, filling your legs with strength, your lungs with air.
And finally, there is joy in obedience. It is better than the feeling you get from pleasure, because it is a satisfied happiness, and it comes with a better knowledge of GOD. He literally wants to hear you sing! Let that happiness and admiration out. That’s real praise.
