1st Sunday In Advent: HOPE

Having Hope is a wonderful thing. To hope is to trust in, wait for, look for, to desire or expect something that is beneficial for the future. This first Sunday in Advent we are to remember the hope of the prophets and the people Israel. We also wait for the return of God’s Son, Jesus, who will renew the earth and remove sin once and for all. Let us begin this day by examining what it is to hope.

Trust and Obey

Hope is to trust in the fact that God will be, and is present in times of trouble. We trust that our hope will bring peace to the internal strife that complicates our communion with God. Trust in God means that we are reliant on Him in times of trouble that He will deliver us. We trust in God for provisions. Trust in God is giving up all things to Him so that through Him we can live a life free from the worries of this world. It is up to us to believe that God will be there. It is this belief that helps us make it through the day and all situations it may bring. When you fully rely on God wonderful things happen.  To trust in God is to have faith in Him alone.

Our trust in Him is proven through our obedience to His Word. We have the most difficult time with this because of our sinful nature. To conquer our sinfulness, God gave us rules and guidelines to follow. The Commandments He has for us are not attainable because if we break one, we break all. Knowing this, God sent His Son to us as a sacrifice who took away the penalty of death for our sinful nature.  

When we trust and obey we receive a joy and peace that is truly well beyond our human comprehension. Where do you put your trust?

Wait For God

Scripture encourages us to wait for God with Hope and an expectant heart. When we are in trouble we wait for God to turn things around to our favor. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD (Psalm 27:14). We are also told to wait patiently, I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry (Psalm 40:1). Psalm 130:5 encourages with these words, “I wait for the LORD, my whole waits, and in His Word I put my hope”. Waiting for God may seem daunting at times when you really desire something immediately but remember, we are on His time, not ours.

Look For Him

We are to seek Him with patient endurance. As we wait on God we are to persevere in everything we do for His Glory no matter the earthly consequence. By this we are to be in total obedience to His Great Commission and seek Him in the lives of others as well as our own lives. Funny thing is, we really do not have to look further than the nose on our face. If we search inside ourselves, God is there. Our problem is that we look in the mirror and see our vanity and conceit more than we see His Glorious work that is ourselves.

How simple it is to see God’s handiwork in all of creation. We just have to open our hearts and minds to literally smell, hear, see, and taste our Father’s work all around us. When seeking answers and seeking God we only need to ask Him to open our heart and turn on the light.

Desire  

The non-Christian may see that word and think we are talking either in a sensual manner or other physical means. To desire God is to need His Love and light in our lives. We have no desire for riches, fame, or any material thing that takes our mind off of communion with God. We should not desire the things that distract us, that is what Satan wants us to do. To desire God is to keep His Word in our heart and let it control our thoughts and actions.

If we turn from the Word we turn from God and risk being lost to Satan which means our lives (both physical and spiritual) are forfeit. Desiring, idolizing, wanting to be something you are not designed to be are ways that Satan keeps us from our true desire which is eternal life with God.

Our Hope Is In Christ  

God sent His Son to share the Word and correct us in our thoughts and ways. He turned many back to God who had been lost to the desires and needs of the world. The Israelites were looking for a leader who would conquer the world. What they did not know was how the Messiah would actually accomplish this. He came, corrected many, returned many, turned many, suffered ridicule, mocked, accused of blasphemy, whipped, beat, and died as the ultimate sacrifice. Because of God desiring communion with us, He gave up His most precious gift in the form of a man to die for our salvation. God saved us.

Jesus will return. The children of the Book know this. The hope is that He either comes in our life time or at least within a time frame when our children’s children have full knowledge and share our hope in Him. We wait expectantly for His return with an anticipation that is slower than Heinz Ketchup. If we speed up our anticipation we will suffer disappointment. Remember, be prepared because He Himself said that He would return as a thief in the night. We have to expect the unexpected. Have hope in God which moves with Him.

Brothers and Sisters, this holiday season is filled with tough and trying times. We really do not know which way this world will turn from one second to the next. We must turn away from the troubles of this world and place all our hope in God. In Him we can accomplish anything that He desires us to do. Without Him we fall. What will you do to share this hope with your fellow man?

Hoping in the Lord our God,

Rob, Servant of God