“The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.”
—Jeremiah 23:5 (NRSV)
Let’s be honest. This hasn’t been a very hope-filled year. No normal graduations, weddings, births, family vacations, holidays, etc. Probably the last word you would use to describe this last year was a year of hope. There didn’t seem to be much to hope for.
And yet. God still brings hope. Through Jesus Christ – God brings hope. This advent season as we anticipate the magical time with our families and the birth of our Branch – and in every season even when we have a hard time seeing that hope.
Sometime this week or in the coming week I am going to ask you to do two things:
Write down a list of things you hope for in the coming year. What do you hope in your relationship with God? What do you hope for your family? What do you hope for in your friendships? What do you hope for in work or in your personal life? What are the things you hope for in this coming year? Write that list down and hang it up somewhere you will see it often. Pray about those things. Allow God to be a part of it all because ultimately God brings the hope we desire and seek out in all areas of our life.
Figure out a way this advent season to bring someone hope. Maybe you know someone who needs a meal. Maybe you know someone who could use a bending ear and are lonely. Give them a call and just chat with them and pray with them. Maybe you know someone who is in desperate need of the hope of Jesus Christ. Invite them to church whether in person or to watch online with you in your home. Extend the same hope that God gives to you to someone else this month.
Nichole is an ordained Elder in the Church of the Nazarene. She wrote the 2020 Advent Devotionals for Generations Community Church, which were published online on the original devotion.al site, which has since been incorporated into Encounter (this site).