Embracing Advent: Hold on to HOPESample

HOPE IN HIS WORD

Hope is not observable. It is abstract. Although not physical, it involves both the head and the heart. Hope is something we feel at our core, but more than just a fleeting feeling, it is rooted in a deep-seated knowledge and confidence. 

When we are feeling lost and are searching for hope, it can be elusive. But the Psalmist tells us exactly where to find hope… 

You are my hiding place and my shield;

I HOPE in Your word. 

– Psalm 119:114 (ESV)

When I was in high school, I worked at a summer camp in Northern California. During a season when I was just starting to spend time reading my Bible on my own, I would go out to the meadow early every morning and sit on the fence along a horse corral, looking out toward the sun rising behind the mountains. I had no idea where to begin, but a co-worker suggested that I simply read through the Psalms and note what I discovered about who God is. 

So, I would sit on that fence with my student Bible and open my notebook, and I would read… 

I love you, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

  my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

  my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised

  and I am saved from my enemies. 

– Psalm 18:1-3 (ESV) 

And then I would write. 

God is… 

… my strength.

… my rock.

… my fortress.

… my deliverer.

… my God.

… my shield.

… my salvation.

… my stronghold.

… my Lord.

… worthy to be praised.

… my savior.

And there I would find hope. Reading through the Psalms, and learning more about God and His character, brought assurance to my head and comfort to my heart. 

Today, I encourage you to open a Bible and discover more about who God is and the hope that He brings. Get to know Him better through the Psalms, read the Christmas story of Jesus’ birth in the books Matthew and Luke, or dive into Romans to learn more about the “good news” of the gospel. The Bible is a gift to us, and in it are accounts and encounters that bring truth and life and HOPE.