Last year's advent thoughts

Last year, 2009, I was asked to write something about "HOPE" for an Advent Calendar that special friends at North Run Church in Virginia were publishing ... since I am writing a small devotional for this year's addition, I re- read what I'd written last year... My. How life evolves and changes and disappoints and challenges us by the tough stuff. It was my absolute nightmare, worst Christmas ever!

On the other hand, how wonderfully does God hold our hands in the hard times, and encourage us with the promise of "eternal life" -- those words are more than just words to me-- "eternal life"-- they are life! And the certain, sure hope of seeing Mom again...

Here is what I wrote... sharing it with you, even though it's not Advent yet. Jesus Christ comes-- today--everyday. He is here & touches our lives!

Advent Devotional- HOPE

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

- Hebrews 11:1 -

Jesus was like any infant-- tiny, sleeping a lot, crying for milk! Frankly, he didn’t look much like the Savior. That barn appeared to be anything BUT a King’s birthplace. But Mary and Joseph were visited by angels before they married, giving them an eternal perspective on this not-to-be-repeated birth. They received hope that God had everything under control. And faith grabbed onto the hope fueled by His promises.

Faith and hope work together. Faith is stepping onto a plane, knowing that a hundred different technical factors have to work, for 200 persons to be able to fly. Hope, then, is like the view from the cockpit—watching for landing lights while circling at your destination, even through the fog. But you don’t see them, yet!

Let’s notice two more verses.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,

so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

- Romans 15:13 –

“… but we also rejoice in our sufferings,

because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us…”

- Romans 5:3-5 -

These verses from Romans contain powerful truths. First, God is the source of hope. It’s a description of His nature. Secondly, I have to trust Him. If my hope is founded on my family, finances, former successes or even my faults, it can be shaken. Thirdly, hope is like a gushing riverbed, overflowing onto the banks beside it!

I wish hope grew through quickly answered prayers. In happy times. But it’s birthed by pain. Waiting. Hoping that this job interview (we certainly got practice from the previous 14 interviews!), will land us a new position. The wish that our rebellious child will one day make us proud. In my case, faith was letting a cardiac surgeon operate on my mom in August. And hope is what’s hanging on, after months of perservering in prayer in ICU, reading God’s promises, waiting for Mom to come home. If we’d seen healing the first month, our character would not have grown as much. Our quantity of “hope” would stay smaller. And those around Mom would not have experienced the riverbed, creeping, gushing, pouring over the banks.

Prayer:

Father, in situations where I don’t have all the answers, may I trust You. Where I persevere and wait for You to show up powerfully, let me not give up hope. May this hope, in turn, cause others to see Jesus, especially during this Advent season (see 1 Peter 3:15). In Jesus’ name.