Advent: The Light That Rises in the DarknessNäide

Hope That Never Dies

“Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness, his mercies begin afresh each morning." Lamentations 3:21-23 (NLT)

Sometimes it seems that hope dies. That doesn’t happen suddenly but slowly – day by day, among weariness, disappointment, uncertainty. We pray, expect, and work, but our heart gets filled with sadness. The same way felt Jeremiah, the prophet, when looking at the ruins of Jerusalem – a symbol of ruined dreams, lost steadiness, pain of the nation.

But it was there, among the ruins, that he proclaimed the words that became a prayer for thousands of generations: “Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.” God’s hope never dies, even when everything around us seems hopeless. It, like the dawn, doesn’t depend on our mood, but on His faithfulness.

Sometimes the deepest acts of faith are not loud and pompous words but a quiet consistency – getting up, praying, loving, ministering. Hope lives in our daily faithfulness when we don’t give up.

When we’re holding onto God – even in a whisper, even in tears – He’s holding us much stronger.

Ask yourself:

• In what areas of life do I feel my hope is fading?
• How can I allow God to renew my heart today?

Prayer:

God, thank You for Your faithfulness even when I’m weak. When my hope starts fading, light it up again. Give me a heart that remembers Your goodness and can see the dawn even after the longest night. Amen.