Believe
I want to take you back, not too long ago, to a couple year window in which several examples of belief took center stage.
In the spring of 2007, the Golden State Warriors began their playoff run as the lowest seed in the NBA playoffs, and quickly proceeded to dismantle the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks, earning the nickname of the “#WeBelieve Warriors.”
Not too long after the Warriors run, former President Barack Obama began his presidential campaign with the slogan “Change We Can Believe In.”
Then, on the heels of President Obama’s presidential victory, arenas and venues across the country were brimming with throngs of “Beliebers,” all gathered to experience the rush of seeing then teen-wonder Justin Bieber perform live.
In each of these instances, we observe a sense of hopefulness centered around a person, team, or idea. Unfortunately, each of these cases (all of which generated a great deal of excitement in one form or another) were hampered and impacted by significant flaws.
The “WeBelieve Warriors” lost in the next round of the playoffs to the Utah Jazz, winning only one game out of the five played.
The “Change We Can Believe In” slogan may have applied to some areas of President Obama’s time in office, but other areas didn’t see as much change as voters would have liked.
The “Beliebers” also were let down just a few years later when Justin made questionable decision after questionable decision, as most teens would if put in his situation, and put his career/legacy in question.
But should we really be surprised by any of these results? Probably not. Sin has a tight grip on everything we come into contact with in this world: our politics, our idols, and even our favorite sports teams. There’s only one person throughout history that has been able to successfully evade the clutch of sin, Jesus, our Savior.
The same person that David is praising in Psalm 116 verse 10, “I believed, even when I spoke: “I am greatly afflicted”; and in Psalm 117, "Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!"
The LORD is and will continue to be the one and only person deserving of our belief. Even, as David notes, when we are afflicted we still have reason to believe. And, as David points out earlier in Psalm 116:5-7, "Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful. The LORD preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you."
I pray and trust that these words will encourage you just as much as they have me, to know that we have a God who is so worthy of our belief and so willing to meet us where we are as we grow in that same belief.