Put Your Hope in God
The hymn “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” is based on an 1863 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It’s not like most Christmas songs which usually proclaim joy and peace. This one is different.
“And in despair I bowed my head.
There is no peace on earth I said.
For hate is strong and mocks the song
of peace on earth, good will to men.”
These words move us into hope, reassuring us that
“God is not dead, nor does He sleep.
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, goodwill toward men.”
This pattern of hope rising out of lament is also found in the Psalms. Psalm 43 begins with the psalmist crying out about the enemies who attack him (v. 1) and his God who seems to have forgotten him (v. 2). The Psalmist doesn’t stay in lament. He looks up to the God he doesn’t fully understand but still trusts. He continues singing, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (v. 5)
The book of Psalms is Israel’s hymnbook, consisting of 150 songs written over a 1,000-year period by composers like Moses, David, Solomon, Asaph and the sons of Korah. Psalm 43 is a psalm of lamentation. These psalms express cries to God for deliverance and help in times of suffering, disappointment, distress and abandonment. Psalms 42 and 43 are similar and often read or sung together. The refrain, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me” is found in both Psalm 42 and 43.
Life is filled with ups and downs, and Christmastime can contain both. At times, we all experience lives filled with lament. If we allow that lament to point us to the God of hope, we can sing joyfully – even though we might be singing through our tears.
Prayer – Dear God, we all struggle under the burdens of life. As we celebrate this Christmas season, remind us that our help comes from above – from the Maker of heaven and earth. Amen.
Psalm 43:5 – “Why, my soul, are you downcast? … Put your hope in God.”
By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Images: Saravana Sathish Settu, Max Ovcharenko & Allef Vinicius, courtesy of Unsplash
