Welcome readers! As we begin the 12 Days of Blogmas, I would like to draw our focus on the first theme of Advent: Hope. Traditionally, Christians would light a candle each Sunday leading up to Christmas and reflect on one of the four themes of Advent. The first of these is hope, followed by peace, then joy, and finally love.
Hope is inextricably related to faith; Hebrews 11:1 NKJV says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” What does that mean exactly? Think about it: substance is the physical form of something intangible, or perhaps you could say it is what something is made of. So if “faith is the substance of things hoped for,” what you are hoping for can be made a reality through faith in Christ that God hears and answers prayers.
At the beginning of each year, I pray for the Lord to tell me a Bible verse to encourage me throughout the year. This past year, Romans 15:13 has been that verse. Through this letter, Paul encouraged the church of Rome and gave them astounding doctrinal truths about the gospel of Jesus Christ; nearing the end of this letter, he is lifting up the church, especially the Gentile (non-Jewish) believers. Paul says in Romans 15:13 NKJV, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” That verse alone includes all but one of the Advent themes! However I would argue that this verse also includes love becase 1 John 4:8 says, “God is love.”
I’m gonna do something scary and share my heart with you for a minute. In the past, I have struggled with hope. I don’t mean to say that I’ve felt hopeless–once I found Christ and became saved through God’s grace, He filled that void! However, sometimes the events of our past have an influence on how we view the world. By God’s grace, He teaches us new aspects of His character continuously, helping us understand who He is. Until this year, I’ve struggled to completely trust God with what I hope for. I was used to being disappointed in the past, so I was always afraid to truly let God carry my hopes and dreams. Romans 5:5 speaks to this problem as well when it states “hope does not disappoint, becaues the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” By Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection, believers have access to the power of God through His Holy Spirit who comes into a person’s life when they are saved. Because of this and because God’s love is in our hearts, we are able to view life through a Christ-like lense, empowering us to see through the eyes of faith. When this happens, our hope is correctly fixed on what God views as true and good in His overall plan for our lives.
Romans 15:13 has reminded me throughout this year to continue trusting the God who loves me with “all joy and peace in believing,” especially when it is difficult to do so. Hope at its core is the belief that something greater than the present difficulties is coming. So as you read this, I pray that you will surrender whatever it is you are hoping for to Jesus, the only One who can make your hopes and dreams a reality–and often greater than anything you could imagine. Hebrews 10:23 says “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
I pray this holiday season is the best one you’ve ever experienced, full of hope for God’s plans for you and thankfulness for the grace He shows you daily. Merry Christmas! ❤️💚
References:
New King James Bible. (2018). Thomas Nelson. (Original work published 1982)
Books, Coffee, and Jesus 