Notes on Hope Devotional

When, Not If

Psalm 94:18, 19
When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
    your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me,
    your consolation brought me joy.

Time is measured in dimensions such as years, months, weeks, and minutes. Then there are events that define specific times, like birthdays, graduations, weddings, and retirements. And then there is language describing time in moments of when: when I grow up, when I move, when I finish my degree, and when I hear back if I got the job. 

When offers us a sense of being in the moment of an event that is going to happen or has happened. There’s no “if” involved. When is definitive and certain.

Today’s verse describes two scenarios the psalmist finds himself in. “When I said, my foot is slipping,” and “when anxiety was great within me.” Both places are rooted in fear. Fear roars and rumbles in each of us with radar looking for relief. Both places are positions to seek help. The responses to these “whens” are offerings to us of how God is ready to give us hope in our fear, faith in our despair, and comfort in our pain.

“Your unfailing love, Lord, supported me,” comes immediately after the fear is described. No pause between the two sentences, but a declaration of “your faithful love is with me.” It’s like when I hear the Pilates instructor say, “I got you,” when I am standing on the reformer trying to balance and not fall. God has got us.

When we are experiencing overwhelming anxiety, hearing the words, “your consolation brought me joy,” is like a slathering of aloe vera on a sunburn; a sense of relief and comfort.

Life has no shortage of experiences that cause fear. So, when we are in the “whens,” may we stand on the promise of God’s faithful love and sustaining comfort.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the promises that overcome our fear. Help us declare, like the psalmist, “Your unfailing love supported me” and “your consolation brings me joy.” Let us be open to experience the reality of love and comfort You give us.
In Jesus Name,
Amen