Our Hope For Years To Come

It's Inauguration Day. And whether you voted for our now current president or not, today is a very historical day for our nation.

I did not vote for Barack Obama, but as a citizen, and more importantly, as a Christian, I now support this man in the highest office in our country. It is my greatest hope and prayer that he is a successful president. I take comfort in the fact that he is a man of faith. As I was watching the coverage this morning I saw how he and the new Vice President started this most auspicious day at church - worshiping, praising, and devoting their service to God. The commentator said that they would end the service by singing the following song by Isaac Watts:

O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home

Under the shadow of thy throne,
thy saints have dwelt secure;
sufficient is thine arm alone,
and our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
or earth received her frame,
from everlasting thou art God,
to endless years the same.

A thousand ages in thy sight
are like an evening gone;
short as the watch that ends the night
before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
bears all its sons away;
they fly, forgotten, as a dream
dies at the opening day.

O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
be thou our guide while troubles last,
and our eternal home!


Fierce winds blow, lightning flashes, and thunder cracks so loudly it shakes your home. That kind of storm makes us quake with fear and wonder how we’ll ever survive. And that’s the kind of storm we feel each time another terrorist strikes, or a job is lost, or a loved one dies.

In the midst of such storms, our hearts can find hope in the words of "O God Our Help in Ages Past." As the hymn writer states, God is "our shelter from the stormy blast." No matter what tragedy strikes, God can protect us.

But how can we be so sure that God is there in the storm? The hymn answers that question in these words, "from everlasting you are God, to endless years the same." God doesn’t change. He guided the Israelites safely to the Promised Land. He raised Jesus from the dead. And when we look at our own past, we’ll always notice the same thing: God was there to see us through the storms.

Knowing that, we can live with hope that he’ll protect us in the present too.

What storms shake you today? Maybe you feel like an emotional wreck. Maybe you’re fighting tough spiritual battles. Maybe your family circumstances have spiraled out of control. But no matter what "stormy blast" may be swirling around you, hold on to the promise of this hymn. Let the truth of Psalm 90 be your strength for you just as it was for Isaac Watts so long ago. You can be confident that God will see you through.

O, God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, we pray godspeed for the outgoing President. We pray for Your honor above all.

O, God, our shelter from the stormy blast and our Eternal home, we ask that You help and grant wisdom to the new President of the United States as he fills this office. Guide him as he serves our nation and carries its Constitutional responsibilities.