Our Hope is in the Person of Jesus

Andy Manley

Social distancing has changed the way we do ministry and interact with each other. One of the steps that our youth ministry has taken is starting a Bible reading plan for students and leaders to follow along with on the Bible App. 

One of the days is centered on Psalm 62:7. It says, “My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.” This Psalm was written by David. He had enemies all throughout his life who wanted to kill him. In this Psalm he talks about where he finds his security. 

A couple weeks ago I went to see family in Arizona. When I got there, it was one of the few days that it rains there. True PNW experience. My dad wanted to go see a historical site. We went to a national park where the Sinaguan Native American Tribe had lived years ago. They had actually lived up in a huge cliff dwelling. It was a natural way to defend themselves. Anyone that tried to attack would be down below them. They’d have higher ground and it would be hard to reach them. Their safety didn’t just come from their own strength or their own weapons. Their strength came from where they found protection. 

It’s the same with us. I’ve noticed that stress and anxiety comes in my life when I try to control things that I can’t control. Our culture is facing a lot right now. Maybe your health has been impacted or maybe it’s someone you know. Maybe it’s a job that’s been lost or added financial strain. There are a lot of situations that are happening to us that are outside of our control. 

We can’t always control the situations that happen to us… But we can control who we turn to. Our strength isn’t in our own understanding or our own power. Our strength is a God who wants us to lean on Him. We can choose to trust that God has a plan and that He is our ultimate provider. We can put our hope in the person of Jesus, knowing that He’s good and that we’re at the center of His attention.