Joyful Expectation

Bring joy to Your servant’s life,
Since I set my hope on you, Lord.

(Psalm 86:4 HCSB)

Here is the secret of joy: Set your hope on the Lord. In the Bible, hope is not tentative but sure. There is no “maybe” about it. Rather, it is an anticipation, an expectation of what will be. David has set his hope on the Lord.

The KJV and other versions has, “I lift up my soul.” It is like an empty cup we lift up before the Lord with the expectation that He will fill it. As long as we keep it before Him, we will not be disappointed. It is a matter of believing the goodness and the promise of God. In another psalm, David declare, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).

Because his trust is in the Lord, he has a positive anticipation for good. This creates another expectation: There will be joy in his life.

Biblical hope is positive expectation, joyful anticipation. Set your hope on the Lord, trust in His goodness, and get ready for His joy to fill you up.