Yield and Hope

“Happy [is he] that [hath] the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope [is] in the LORD his God:” (Ps 146:5 AV)

Note in particular the present tense of the help and the future tense of the hope.  The verbs are both in the present tense.  But help us present while hope looks to the future.  Both are active at the same time.  How can that be?  We forget that life is not linear.  It is hard for us to grasp that two or more things that might seem contradictory can actually work in concert with one another.  We can be both here and there at the same time.  To us, we are here.  Someone else will say we are there if they are not here with us.  Above, we have an active help while hope rests in the finished work.  Hope, help, and hope again work together.  When God is working and we hope in the result of His hand, we are happy.

Have you ever tried to help someone and somewhere in the midst of helping, they interrupt and try to do it themselves?  They don’t like how you are going about it.  They do not think you can do it.  After a bit of frustration, you blurt out, “Do you trust me or not?”  I am a bit better at desktop publishing than my lovely wife.  She will wait until the last minute of a project, then ask me to do it for her.  I never allow her to watch me.  If I did, it would slow me down.  She would want to compile the project according to her thinking or how she organizes.  And there is nothing wrong with that.  It works for her.  Yet, I have learned better ways to do the same thing.  So if she is watching, she will interrupt.  She will ask why I don’t do it a certain way.  At first, I might explain.  But the interruptions become less of a learning experience for her and more of a way to get it done how she is comfortable.  So, I blurt out the words: “Do you trust me or not?”  She would be much happier if she would let me do it the way I do.  I would get it done faster, better, and with less interruption.  She will have to hope that when the project is done, it will meet her expectations.

Being happy in the LORD is an ongoing process.  It is not a permanent state of being.  Being happy in the LORD requires that we trust the LORD and get out of the way as He works.  One cannot hope if he does not yield.  One cannot accept help unless he hopes that help will come through.  Help may come without hope.  When we help our small children, they rarely notice.  It does not register the sacrifice required to make them comfortable and happy.  As they age, they appreciate the effort and love behind our actions.  They learn to trust that the effort and love will continue.  As we mature in the LORD, we realize more and more just how much God works on our behalf.  As we study the word of God, meditate on just how active God is in our lives, we begin to see He is a God who can be trusted.  Do we want to be happy?  Then we must learn to yield and the hope.