Kilpatrick Baptist Association

God’s Hope for Us

 

We recently introduced a song in our church called "I Set My Hope on Jesus". It is published with the curious subtitle "Hymn for a Deconstructing Friend". A few of our church members saw that and couldn't resist the question, "What does that mean?" To make a long story short, the songwriter's friend had been hurt in a church by a church leader who said or did something they should not. That sort of thing happens far too often in our country. That person's experience in his church was affecting his faith, and so the songwriter penned this musical declaration that our faith is in Jesus and Jesus alone, and our hope is in Jesus and Jesus alone. To the songwriter's friend, the message was that his hope should be in Jesus, not some fallible church leader. But the Bible also talks about the foolishness of setting our hope on our money, or our influence, or our good works. All of those things will fail; only Jesus can be trusted never to leave us or fail us. And indeed the Bible says that the trials we face in this fallen world should only increase and strengthen our hope in Jesus -- "Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 12:1-2) Here's the chorus of that song: "I set my hope on Jesus, my Rock, my only trust, who set His heart upon me first. I set my hope on Jesus."

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A link to “I Set My Hope on Jesus”: https://youtu.be/q-dWxto9-XQ?si=M7d85-MxHdD_cbm1

 

Matt Ward, FBC Thomson