Contemplation #220
May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. Psalm 25:21

Hope is a precious inward blessing that is the fruit of knowing God. God gives us hope by simply being Himself. Because God is who He is, we do not despair of our existence but have a reassurance and confidence that is more certain than any trying circumstance or frightening possibility about the future. Our hope grows the more we know God, his goodness, mercy, love, and faithfulness. Truly we find that our hope is in God and God alone.

Contemplation #221
May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. Psalm 25:21

Whose integrity and uprightness does the psalmist refer to, his own or God’s? Perhaps we should say both. The primary integrity and uprightness that protects one who has hope in God is the integrity and uprightness of God Himself. By far our hope is in God’s good and gracious nature. That God is true and righteous is our assurance. In a much lesser way, our own integrity and uprightness, to whatever extent these are cultivated in us by God’s grace, lead to our well-being. Our fidelity to God and participation in God’s own nature become assurances of God’s protection.

Contemplation #222
May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. Psalm 25:21

Though the psalmist may speak of both God’s integrity and uprightness and our participation in those virtues, the protection afforded is God’s alone. God is the One who protects even though we may speak of our own integrity and uprightness, as derived from God, as assuring us of the blessing. It is much like the Holy Spirit serving as our guarantee . . . the Spirit of God in us but not from us. Our own submission to and reception of the gifts of God, as we embrace intentionally these formative blessings, give us confidence of protection and care. Let us not forget to practice integrity and uprightness, knowing how God wills these for our protection in divine love.