The Gift of Hope
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
What are you hoping for? With a long sigh, most of us quickly respond with words similar to these: “I hope this pandemic ends soon!” Perhaps your thoughts are in this direction: “I really hope that people will someday realize that all lives matter.” Our hopes are not unrealistic! With just these two things resolved, imagine what the world would look like.
We can hope for lots of things like lower taxes, a new car, good health reports, a nice visit with the family and so on. But they are not the most important hope. Our Father wants our desires to align with His plans. There are times when they will make sense; other times it looks and feels crazy. It can take just a moment or years to come to fruition.
Look how long they hoped and waited for the promised Messiah. Generations came and went but they did not lose hope. Do you ever wonder what the confused shepherds thought that first Christmas night? The appearance of angelic beings would have rocked their world. What a startling surprise when they arrived and found an infant who was placed in a manger. For hundreds of years, mangers had been used for holding the sacrificial swaddled lambs before the perfect males were selected.
The Hope of the ages had arrived in a little town of Bethlehem just as Micah had pinpointed. People had a choice; they could believe or not. We have the same choice today. Please understand that I am not being critical when I say that we cannot be sort of hopeful. Having hope requires trust. How much trust does it require to believe this entire story of the virgin birth, a Redeemer infant? It takes everything we’ve got and then some!
Hope has a name and it is Jesus Christ. May we find that the hope of this season becomes a reality in our hearts.
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the gift of Hope, Your Son, Jesus Christ. AMEN.