Oswald Chambers: Hope - A Holy Promise Sample

The exquisite beauty of mountain scenery awakens lofty aspirations; the limitless spaces above the high mountain peaks, the snow-clad summit, and the scarred side ending in foliage and beauty as it sweeps to the valley below, stand as a symbol for all that is high and lofty and aspiring. But soon we realize the limitation not only of physical life but also the inner life; the remembrance of mountains and mountain-top experiences leaves us a little wistful. This brings to mind the Psalmist’s song: “Shall I lift up mine eyes to the hills?” “Is that where my help comes from?” And the Psalmist answers, “No, my help comes from the Lord Who made the hills!”

Here is the essence of spiritual truth. Not to the great things God has done, not to the noble saints and noble lives He has made, but to God himself do we look for our hope.

Reflection Questions: What personal limitations—physical, spiritual, emotional—make me wistful? What do I hope to do for God that I think requires more strength than He is able to give me?

Quotations taken from The Place of Help, © Discovery House Publishers