Hope

Do you remember being a kid, waiting for Christmas morning, and hoping for a particular gift? The anticipation felt endless, the hope so alive you could almost touch it. But as we grow older, that wonder fades. We learn to temper our expectations, to hedge against disappointment, because life doesn’t always deliver what we’re hoping for.

Sometimes we carry that mindset into our faith. When prayers go unanswered or the waiting stretches on, it’s easy to hold back our hope, afraid of being let down. The Israelites knew that feeling. By the time Jesus was born, God’s people had been waiting about 400 years to hear from Him since His last word through the prophet Malachi. For us, it’s just the flip of a page from Malachi to Matthew, but for them, it was centuries of silence. Still, they clung to the promise of a Savior.

And when Jesus finally came, He didn’t look like the king they expected. He came as a baby in a manger. God kept His promise, but in a way no one anticipated. God often works in our lives that way, too. He always has something better in mind than what we’re hoping for.

What are you hoping for this Christmas? It’s probably not something wrapped under the tree. Maybe it’s healing, provision, or reconciliation. Whatever it is, let this season be a reminder: our hope isn’t in an outcome, but in the Savior. When you place your hope in Jesus, you can be like a kid again. Go ahead and hope. Hope fully and without reserve. Dare to imagine yourself free, whole, and at peace. Those are just a few of the promised gifts that come with following Jesus. They don’t come like a light switch, though. They come more like Christmas comes to a kid, slowly.

When the waiting gets long, turn to Hebrews 11: “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Like the Israelites waiting for Jesus, you might not see it fully yet, but God always fulfills His promises, and He always works for our good.

Prayer: “God of hope, light our hearts with the promise of Your presence. Help us to have faith while we wait, trusting you to fulfill your word to us.”