This Christmas season, we celebrate the day that hope arrived. The promise of the coming Messiah was made in the Garden and echoed throughout the pages of Scripture to generations of God’s people. And for thousands of years, they waited. Then, in one fateful night in the humble town of Bethlehem, God Himself entered humanity. The long-awaited answer to the eternal dilemma sinful mankind faced had arrived proving once again that God can be trusted to keep His promises.
It is in the seasons of waiting that hope seems hardest to grasp. We may eagerly hope at first, yet as time passes our hope starts to fade. But hope and waiting go together. It is in the waiting that the growth happens. It is in the waiting that we learn to trust God. It is in the waiting that we eagerly anticipate what God will do.
There’s a verse in Psalms that I often pray when I start my day:
“In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning, I lay my requests before You and wait expectantly.” – Psalm 5:3
It is a helpful reminder of why I pray and why I hope!
“I lay my requests before You…”
Before whom do I bring my requests? Before the Almighty Sovereign Creator. My Father and loving Savior. The Provider and Protector. The Promise Keeper. The good God. The One who knows all and whose plans will always come to pass. The One who will never leave me or forsake me. The One who sits enthroned over all the earth yet bends down to hear my humble prayers.
“I wait expectantly.”
I wait because His timing is always perfect. I wait because He is the Master Project Manager, working all things according to His perfect will. I wait because I may not be ready yet to receive. I wait with hope – confident expectation – because I know He hears me. And I wait eagerly to see how God will move in this situation for my good and His glory.
If you are walking through a seemingly hopeless situation, remember where your hope truly lies. God can be trusted to keep His promises. He did it in the manger. He did it on the cross. And He did it in the empty tomb. Keep your eyes on Him! He loves you, and He would not ask you to walk this walk if He did not know that on the other side are breakthrough and new beginnings. Stay focused on Him. He will get you through.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13 NASB
