The Greatness of God's Hope

Many of us remember those epic words uttered by Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz — "There's no place like home." It is nice to get away from home and the day to day activities, stresses, and strains of our "normal" routines. Vacations lead us, hopefully, to a place of rest and re-creation. However, I cannot think of a time when I was traveling back home (especially driving) when I didn't uttered those words like Dorothy.

Why do we anxiously want to get a way from the "daily grind" only to return to it as our home? We are a fickle people aren't we? Or are we? Is there something deep down inside of us that makes us want to get away, but also want to return so soon? I would suggest it has to do with hope.

In the case of Dorothy, while she came to appreciate Oz and those she came to find as friends, her hope was to find a way to return to Kansas and the farm. It was that sense of hope that allowed Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin-Man, and the Lion to discover what was right there for them in "front of their faces" — Hope. Hope for returning home. Hope for a brain. Hope for a heart. Hope for courage. Through their adventures, they discovered their hope.

Our story this Sunday from Psalm 91 tells of those who wanted to go home, to the presence of God Almighty. The psalm is a reminder as to who is responsible for that for the Hebrew people.

While the psalm does not take on the sound of last week's psalm for deliverance from their enemies, the Babylonians, it is used as an "opening worship song" for those who gather at the sacred temple. The people of God place their hope, their trust in the Almighty, regardless of the circumstances of life at home.

So, let us come to worship this Sunday singing "God, you're my refuge. I trust in you and I'm safe! (vs.2)."

Pastor Steve