What, then, can I hope for Lord? I put my hope in you. Psalm 39:7, GNT)

 

One of the ministers in my church had a very good sermon on hope one Sunday. The same Sunday during lunch hour, I listened to one of the last few broadcasts of a music program by Nic de Jager called "Nic se goed". Nic played part of Verdi’s Requiem and quoted a line from it.

 

Later in the day I found the original lyrics and the English translation on the internet, part of which was as follows: “O God, you who absolved Mary Magdalene and heard the prayer of the criminal on the cross, have given me hope as well”. These words started me thinking about the real meaning of hope.

 

Without hope life becomes meaningless. Without hope people sink into the depths of depression. The poet of Psalm 39 experienced this feeling of hopelessness where nothing seemed worthwhile anymore. This feeling was not just malaise, but something much more serious.

 

His words unveil his inner feelings: “What, then, can I hope for Lord?” This question tells us that he was actually asking that age-old question about the meaning of life that many of us ask. In verses five to seven he is confronted by a fact that we all have to face, namely the knowledge that we have to die eventually. “Indeed every living being is no more than a puff of wind, no more than a shadow. All they do is for nothing; they gather wealth, but don’t know who will get it.” (Psalms 39:5b-6)

 

To change our perspective, we can rephrase his question and say – ‘is life still worth living?’ There is a turning point when the psalmist realises that he can “put my hope in you.” This is also the message in the words of the Requiem. If Jesus could forgive Mary Magdalene and the criminal on the cross, why not us? Being absolved by God makes life worthwhile. I can put my hope in him entirely.

 

Prayer: Thank you Lord, that my hope is not anchored in myself or other people, but in you alone. Amen