Exploring Hope: The past and the future

Posted by Will Stern on August 16, 2020

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” (Psalms 81:10 ESV)

According to this verse from Psalm 81, God wants us to root our lives in two realities simultaneously — the past and the future.

First, let’s look at how God wants us to root our lives in the past.

He starts with a reminder (and don’t we all need reminders): “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” In other words, he is the redeeming God who brought Israel out of slavery through Moses. That is the great redemptive act of the Old Testament. God points to it over and over again to prove his love and faithfulness to a rebellious people. He essentially says, “Remember the past—I’m the redeeming God who brought you out of slavery, gave you the land, and sustained you. Therefore, you can trust me for the future!”

And like Israel, we need to root our lives in the past. After all, redemption from Egypt is nothing compared to redemption from sin, death, and the Devil that Jesus accomplished through his life, death, and resurrection. We have even more reason to trust God than Israel, which is saying a lot.

So we need to look at history during COVID-19. Yes, we should look at the history of pandemics. Yes, we should look at the history of economic downturn. We can learn so much from history! But more than anything else, we should look at the history of God’s action in the past. What has he done in history? Can we trust Him for the future? And the answer is always yes. As one hymn says:

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him,
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er,
Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more.

But second, let’s look at how God wants us to root our lives in the future.

He says, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Don’t you love that image? I imagine a baby bird opening its mouth to its mother to receive sustaining nourishment. And that's probably an apt analogy. God isn't holding back good things from his children. Instead, he promises to nourish and satisfy. And what is the precondition? It's not some tremendous religious work or ceremony. We simply open our mouths, and God promises to fill them.

So how do we open our mouths to receive this spiritual nourishment? Well, first, we acknowledge our need and inability to sustain ourselves. We are like fragile baby birds, dependent on our mother for everything. But as we repent of our sins and trust in Jesus for salvation, we come daily with the mouth of faith open, praying,

“You have been faithful in the past. You were faithful to your covenant people when you brought them out of bondage to Pharaoh. And ultimately, you were faithful to your people when you sent your Son to die on the cross for the sins of your elect. I’ve also seen your faithfulness in my own life. So as I consider the future, I'm stepping out in faith. I'm opening my mouth to receive your Word. Nourish me. Sustained me. Grow me. Give me life. Give me hope. Give me confidence.”

And of course, Jesus promises to answer these prayers. He says,

“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

Ways to Pray:

Let me remember your faithfulness in the past.
Let me trust your faithfulness for the future.
Let me open my mouth wide to you each day.
Satisfy me in the morning with your steadfast love through Jesus Christ my Lord.

About Will Stern

Originally from Colorado, Will Stern is the pastor of Hope Presbyterian Church in Garnet Valley. He majored in violin performance for his undergrad and taught violin for a number of years before being called into ministry. He studied theology at Duke University and Westminster Theological Seminary.