As we enter the Advent season we are reminded that God brings His blessed hope to us in this world of sin and suffering. The prophet Isaiah prophesied these words approximately 700 years before the birth of Christ,

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. (Isaiah 9:2)

The darkness can seem overwhelming at times: loved ones pass away, sorrow and sickness are ever present, and the future appears uncertain. Fyodor Dostoyevsky in Crime and Punishment makes this observation, “The darker the night, the brighter the stars, the deeper the grief, the closer is God!” Therefore, you don’t need to fear the shadows – a shadow means there must be a bright light shining close by.

Hope is always a welcome addition to our lives. The word hope appears approximately 120 – 160 times in our English Bibles depending upon the translation. It occurs most frequently in the book of Psalms which makes sense since Psalms is the largest book in the Bible and it often describes situations where the author was facing a desperate situation. The next most frequent use of the word hope is in the book of Job. The book with the most use per chapters however, is in the book of Lamentations. The book of Lamentations is the prophet Jeremiah’s sorrow over the fall of Jerusalem. Jeremiah chronicles the heartache and devastation and suddenly we read a ray of hope in these verses,

This I recall to my mind,  therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.” (Lamentations 3:20-24)

Even though Jerusalem had fallen and many of the citizens were led off to captivity, Jeremiah never lost hope. He knew that God was in control and that He would not abandon His people. Jeremiah had an unshakable confidence in God,

“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Are you facing a situation that looks hopeless? We often use the word hope  to express a desire when there is a degree of uncertainty. When the word hope is used in the Bible it conveys a confident expectation. Theologian John Calvin describes hope as an expression of faith, “For the word hope I take for faith; and indeed hope is nothing else but the constancy of faith.” Faith often describes a rational sense of certitude whereas hope conveys an emotional sense of a confident expectation. In biblical usage, when faith is directed to the future, it is often described as hope. Hope may be thought of faith in the future tense. Faith is a rational component that includes the past and the present whereas hope is a desire directed toward the future.

As you look at the world around you the future may seem like a hopeless end, but when you appropriate God’s truth you experience an endless hope. Albert Camus in his essay, Return to Tipasa, observed, “In the depth of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a living hope that enables you to continue on even in the depth of winter.

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Chu,rch at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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