"My Hope is Built on Nothing Less" Jeremiah 17:7

The Word of God encourages us to put our hope and faith completely upon Jesus’ righteousness for our eternal life. However, God is not unconcerned about the issues we face in our day to day life here on this earth. He recognizes that there are times when the doubts, cares, and darkness of this world will seem to weaken our fellowship with God and veil His face from us. Even in these times, God has not left us. Our anchor of faith can still hold in the darkness, knowing through faith that even though not seen (Hebrews 11:1), He still sustains us. Therefore we as His children can “rest on His unchanging grace.

Edward Mote's parents were hostile to religion, but while still a boy Edward became a Christian through the influence of a cabinetmaker to whom he was apprenticed.  Regardless of the claims of his business on his time, Mote always found time to worship God.  He was especially interested in Christian music, and one day felt inspired on the way to work to write down a verse that came to his mind.  Before the day was finished, he had completed four verses.  His new hymn began with the words, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." After this, Mote visited a friend whose wife was ill.  It was a Sunday, and the friend mentioned that he and his wife liked to observe Sunday by singing a hymn, reading a scripture, and having prayer together.  Mote had a copy of his hymn in his pocket, so they sang it.  The friend's wife was so taken with the hymn that she requested a copy for herself.  Encouraged by her interest, Mote had copies printed––and soon found himself the author of a beloved hymn. At age 55, Mote responded to a call to the ministry.  He served out the rest of his life––more than two decades–– as the pastor of a Baptist Church in Horsham, Sussex, England.

If you put your hope in other people, they will let you down. If you trust your stocks or bonds or bank accounts, you will find that they can disappear overnight. In any case, they are not ultimately satisfying. Health will fail. Houses can burn. Jobs can be lost. But the one who has his or her hope from God and trusts God as he has revealed himself in Jesus Christ can stand firm in anything. Once a submarine was rammed by another ship and quickly sank. The entire crew was trapped in water grave. One of the divers in the rescue team his helmeted ear to the side of the vessel and listened. He heard a tapping noise. Someone, he learned, was tapping out a question in the dots and dashes of the Morse Code. The question came slowly: “Is … there … any … hope?” That is the question man asks today. Yes, it’s found in Jesus Christ!

Yours in His service

G. Paul Raj