Therefore every soul should look upon God as being his very own, not only helper, but also examiner. Who could ever become careless if he had his eyes constantly fixed upon God whose eyes are constantly turned towards him? Again, when God is looking down on him, never at any moment failing to see what is going on both within and without, searching and judging not only his actions, but even the most subtle motions of his soul, how could he fail to consider him specifically his God? And therefore, not without grounds can he say, My God, in Him will I hope. Notice that he did not say, ‘I hoped,’ or ‘I hope,’ but ‘I will hope.’ As much as to say, this is my vow and my resolution, this is the intention of my heart. This is my hope, laid up in my bosom, and in this will I persevere, for ‘In him will I hope.’ I shall not despair, nor shall I hope in vain, for ‘woe to the man who sins in hope,’ and no less to him who sins in despair. I will not be one of those who do not hope in the Lord: in him will I hope. This is what he says. But now, what about the fruit, the reward, the prize? He shall deliver me from the snare of the hunters, and from the sharp word.
Bernard of Clairvaux, Lenten Sermons on the Psalm ‘He Who Dwells,’ Sermon Two: On the Second Verse: “He will say to the Lord: You are my protector, and my refuge: my God, in Him I shall hope” v. 3 (CF 25, p 127-8)