"O Lord, by these [things men] live, and in all these [things is] the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live." (Isa 38:16 AV)
These are the words of Hezekiah. The LORD sent a prophet to share with the king his days were coming to an end. The king was told to put his house in order. The problem was, Hezekiah did not have a son of whom would sit on his throne once he departed. The king was extremely distraught. He was in deep sorrow. He prayed and mentioned to the LORD how fervently he has served Him. He mentioned the restoration of the temple and the Passover that had been observed. This after many years of neglect. Hezekiah was the only king of Judah that removed the high places. They had been erected during Solomon's reign. They had lasted hundred of years. These high places were a doorway to idolatry. So, Hezekiah removed them. HE completely cleansed the land of wickedness. Morality and pure worship were restored under his leadership. All of this came to the ears of God as motivation to give the king more time. God heard the prayer of Hezekiah and granted him fifteen more years. It is because of this we read a verse from the psalm of praise sung by Hezekiah.
Hope is a powerful thing. This is to what Hezekiah is referring when he speaks of all these things, being that by which men live. For Hezekiah, it was fifteen more years and one son. The power of hope is seen in the next phrase. The life of the spirit is in resides in hope. There has to be hope, or life is not worth living. This was the king's point. Hope is not taken by a benevolent God. Not for the saint, anyway. Hope is something surrendered. Our gracious king states that hope is something God provides often for the souls of men. It is by hope that we can live. Hope is hard to retain when it seems there is none. That does not mean there is no hope. Merely, that we cannot see that upon which hope casts its anchor. Hope is always there. As long as there is a God, there is hope. If God is eternal, then so is hope. There is a saying. Hope springs eternal. From usdictionary.com, the following gives us the origin of the phrase, "The phrase "hope springs eternal" comes from Alexander Pope's poem "An Essay on Man" from the 18th century. The full line reads, "Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blest." This poetic line emphasizes the unwavering spirit of optimism in humans." Our psalmist puts it this way, "But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more." (Ps 71:14 AV)
Hope that is eternal is founded in the person of God. God doesn't go anywhere. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is kind, benevolent, and merciful. He is a God of purpose, regardless of our ability to perceive it or not. Hope can be lost. But unless we are chastened of God and that without remedy, our hope can be lost. At least to a point. There is always eternity. That can never be taken. If we have no hope, we must start with admitting we are the ones who lost it. God did not take it from us. Second, obviously, our hope cannot rely on what we are experiencing or can see. This is what has caused us to lose hope. Our hope must be in something, or someone, greater than that which has robbed our hope. There must be a grander reason for it all. Hezekiah understood his situation was not the best. He was going to die without a son to whom he could leave the nation. The promise of David was greater than his premature demise or dying heirless. That was the premise of his prayer. He found something larger than his situation. He found the cause for which to pray. His hope was in the promise of God and not what a doctor or surgeon might say. His hope was in the person of God and not the words of the prophet. His hope was in God and His faithfulness. If we have lost hope, it only means the object of our hope is on shaky ground. The object of our hope must be God Himself. If it is anything or anyone else, then our hope will be lost.
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