Connecting the Dots of Hope

"You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you… (Psalm 66:12, 13). The Bible is one book, one story and should be read as such. Even though it has 66 different books, it is one book. It took over a millennium to write. Those who wrote the later material often referred to things already written. Thus, when we read Psalm 66, the composer wants us to hear echoes of Exodus 15, the song sung after God delivered Israel from Egypt. It begins this way, "I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him" (Ex. 15:1-2). In Revelation 15, John hears the creatures of heaven singing this song, "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty" (15:3). It's a paraphrase, to be sure, but John says that this is the song of Moses and of the Lamb, connecting the deliverance of Israel from Egypt with the greater deliverance Jesus accomplished for us all. Now back to Psalm 66. We don't know what was happening in the life of the Psalmist that inspired this song, but it wasn't good. At the end of the psalm we find these phrases, "I cried out to him with my mouth…If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!" As he went through his own valley, the psalmist looked back to God's great acts of redemption. It encouraged him to call out to God to save his people again. The book of Revelation invites us to look forward as well. To believe that God has not yet finished his work of redemption, that Jesus will be coming back to renew all things. Living in the present is rarely easy. We often wonder why God doesn't just send Jesus back to make all things new. Psalm 66 helps us to live with confidence in the turmoil of today that that day will come. Like the Psalmist, we look back and see the great acts of God in the Old Testament. Like John, we look back and see the great act of redemption in Jesus Christ: his birth, his life, his death, his resurrection, his ascension into heaven and the pouring out of his Spirit. But we are also invited to see this Lamb upon his throne. We also look ahead to his return in power and glory. It is difficult to keep hope alive. That's why we need a song like Psalm 66. This is also what the Lord's Supper is about. It looks back to Christ's redemption on the cross and it looks forward to the return of our saviour and King. It helps us keep hope alive. As you journey on, go with his blessing: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.