"FOR WITH THE LORD THERE IS MERCY AND PLENTEOUS REDEMPTION." The Lord shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. God's people are special. They are princes; they wrestle with God in prayer, and they prevail. Despondency does not become a prince, much less a Christian. Our God is "The God of hope," and we should hope in Him. Israel should hope in His mercy, in His patience, in His provision, in His plenteous redemption. They should hope for light in darkness, for strength in weakness, for direction in perplexity, for deliverance in danger, for victory in conflict, and for triumph in death. They should hope in God confidently, because He has promised; prayerfully, for He loves to hear from us; obediently, for His precepts are to be observed by us; and constantly, for He is always the same. Beloved, let not your hope rest on persons or performance or anything; but hope in the Lord, in the Lord alone. Israel's God is at all times Israel's hope. The hope of Israel shall never be disappointed. Therefore hope in God, for it is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord; this will keep him steady in storm and tempest.

For Meditation:
The gospel bears my spirit up;
A faithful and unchanging God
Lays the foundation for my hope,
In oaths, and promises, and blood;
Then, O my soul, still hope in God,
And plead thy Saviour's precious blood.