by Leigh Ann Dilley on December 02, 2024
According to the Christian calendar, we have just entered the season of Advent, which is a season that celebrates the anticipation and coming of Jesus Christ. If you have celebrated Advent by using an Advent wreath and four candles, you may already know that the first candle is known as the prophet’s candle and represents HOPE. Hope is defined as confident trust with an expectation of fulfillment. The Old Testament prophet’s reminded God’s people the promised savior was coming so they could wait expectantly for the Messiah. Now it is our turn to celebrate and remember God’s fulfillment of that promise and reflect on the hope we have as we await the Messiah’s return.
For the broken-hearted, discouraged, weary, or those waiting in uncertainty, Advent can be a difficult season. Aren’t we supposed to be joyful and peaceful at this time of year? Discouragement happened in Biblical times as well, but the psalmists pivot from despair to hope. Consider the psalmist who would have lost heart unless he believed he would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27). Then there is this Psamist who wrote repeatedly in Psalm 42: 5, 11 and 43:5:
Why, my soul are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
He tells his very own soul that his comfort and strength come from the living God, not his circumstances.
Other words for hope would be confident trust, and faith. If we look to God for these things, and praise him, he promises to strengthen us during hard times (Isaiah 40:31) and give us peace (Phil. 4:7). The hope of advent doesn’t just happen, it’s a choice. We must choose to trust, hope and praise God as the Savior who has come and will come again. Praise him for what he has already done, and through his promises anticipate, with expectancy, what he will do in the future.
Advent is a season of waiting, but that does not mean we do nothing. When life gets challenging and does not resemble a Hallmark movie, it is helpful to remember God challenges us in ways and circumstances we might not expect. Just as our waiting is not passive, neither is our hope. Isaiah 30:18 says...
God must wait for you to come to him to show you his love and compassion. The Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help. So, run to the Father!
Seek him in prayer and receive not only his strength but his love, compassion and blessing. Confident hope is putting our trust in God who has proved to be forever faithful.
Advent is a time to remember the promise of Christ’s birth, which propels us to remember the true gift a Christmas: salvation due to Jesus redemptive work on the cross. Jesus made us righteous and gave us back our relationship with God. We do not need to be in a good place emotionally, or physically to enjoy the hope of the restorative life Jesus offers. Acts 13:4 declares..
I am going to do something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.
The reality of this is at hand, God is actively working in our lives, including our uncertainties!
A recent devotional from Intouch Ministries said: Belief in God’s goodness is essential to our faith. It grounds us with confidence and fills us with joy in good times and during hard seasons. When we don’t understand what he’s doing, we can trust his heart and know that he is good.
If ever there was a man who maintained hope against all odds, it was Abraham. He waited for 25 years after God promised to make him a Father to all nations. Abraham knew both he had his wife were well past childbearing years, yet he chose to keep his hope and focus on God’s promises. God was faithful to his promise to Abraham. God was faithful and brought a Savior to the world, and God will remain faithful of his promise of Jesus’ return. Live in hope that is appropriately placed this Advent and allow this hope to permeate your trust and confidence in Jesus.
As a benediction, I pray Romans 15:13 over you:
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
