Last Sunday, I had one of those rare weeks with no ministry responsibilities, so I attended services at both of our church campuses. At our South Campus, which isn't my "home campus," I reunited with friends I hadn't seen in a long time and had the privilege of hearing some good friends lead worship.
At both campuses, we started an Advent sermon series. The first week of Advent is about hope, and Gary, our South Campus pastor, preached about the concept of finding hope while you're waiting.
The people of Israel awaited the Messiah who would save the nation from oppression, and Malachi, the last Old Testament prophet, shared the Lord's words about the coming of His messenger. “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts," reads Malachi 3:1 in the ESV.
But the Jewish people waited for 400 years. Four centuries with no word from God, no signs, no miracles, and no other prophets. It must have been difficult to maintain hope.
Sometimes in our circumstances, it can be difficult to maintain hope, especially if we're having to wait for something. But God's Word shows us how we can have hope in the waiting, and Gary shared some thoughts on what we can do when we're waiting.
The first thing we can do is welcome the process. As Gary put it, “God does His best work in a crock pot, not a microwave.”
The prophet Isaiah told his hearers that "they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Listen to me in silence, O coastlands; let the peoples renew their strength; let them approach, then let them speak; let us together draw near for judgment" (Isaiah 40:31, ESV). And the author of Hebrews reminded his readers that "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1, ESV).
Related: Sunday Thoughts: Enduring to the End
The next way we can have hope in the waiting is to remember God's promises. Gary shared six specific promises from God's Word that can help us:
- God cares for you: "...casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7, ESV).
- God loves you: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, ESV).
- God is with you: "...he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you'” (Hebrews 13:5, ESV).
- God is working in you: "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6, ESV).
- God hears your prayers: "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him" (1 John 5:14-15, ESV).
- God forgives you: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9, ESV)
We can trust these promises — and more — to give up hope under any circumstances!
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:3-5, ESV)
Sometimes when we're struggling to find hope, it helps us to adjust our expectations. After all, we're not alone; the Apostle Paul reminded the Roman church (and us by extension) that:
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
It's important for us to hold on to hope no matter how tough times may be. In Romans 12:12, Paul gives the admonishment to "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."
Above all, we need to remember that hope is the promise of Christmas. Just a few chapters later in Romans 15:13, Paul offers this benediction: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."
Isaiah prophesied the birth of the Messiah: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
And Jesus gave us the ultimate hope — eternity. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life," Jesus said in John's gospel. "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
May you find hope in Jesus this Christmas season, no matter what your circumstances are.
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