Hope in the Messiah

Hope in the Messiah

I love Christmas. I really do. And of course, with Christmas comes the classics, It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol. You know the ones: the angel finally gets its wings, the crotchety old man suddenly becomes kind, and everything feels right again. Ahhh… the feeling of the season.

I mean, where would Hallmark be without good old-fashioned Christmas love stories? We love them for that fun, fuzzy, cozy feeling they give us. I know I’m not the only one who turns the AC down, grabs a blanket, pours a mug of hot cocoa, and eats s’mores dip while watching Christmas in July. Don’t be shy, admit it. They’re cheesy and predictable, but we watch them anyway. At the very least, they give us decorating ideas.

But underneath all of that, what is the feeling we’re really craving this season?

In the words of Mrs. McCallister in Home Alone, “This is Christmas, the season of perpetual hope.”

But What Is Hope?

Merriam-Webster defines hope as cherishing a desire with anticipation to want something to happen or to be true. It can also mean putting confidence in or taking refuge in something.

Got Questions explains that there are two kinds of hope: worldly (or temporal) hope and the hope of believers. In a general sense, hope is a mental focus or anticipation regarding a future outcome, something we want to happen, wish to be true, or hope to avoid. Secular hope is subjective. It may be solidly based, or it may be misguided, because it does not consider God’s will. We hope for jobs, relationships, good outcomes, or safety. But worldly hope is not a virtue, because it often contains uncertainty, doubt, personal bias, and selfish motivation (Proverbs 10:28; 1 Timothy 6:17).

Biblical hope is very different. Scripture defines hope as “the sure and confident expectation of receiving what God has promised us in the future.” It is not a faint wish; it is, as Hebrews tells us, “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”

Hebrews 6:18–20 says:

“So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.”

Hope as an Anchor

An anchor is used to keep a vessel in one place. It combats the wind and currents that try to move a ship off course. Some anchors are temporary, used in shallow water. Others are permanent, like the ones holding massive oil rigs steady.

Here’s a fun (and important) fact: an anchor does no good if it’s not used. A ship can have an anchor on board, but if it’s never dropped during a storm, it won’t help. The Coast Guard could shout, “Drop your anchor!” and the ship could respond, “Oh yeah, we have one right here.” But having it isn’t the same as using it.

As one writer put it: “The ship must have hold of the anchor, even as we must lay hold of hope. The anchor itself may be strong and secured to the ocean floor, yet if it isn’t attached to the ship, it is of no use. But there is also a sense in which the anchor has hold of the ship, even as hope has hold of us.”

Hope must be attached to something. The question is: is what we’ve attached our hope to secure and steadfast, or temporary and fleeting?

Scripture tells us that hope is virtuous because it contains no doubt and fully trusts in God’s faithfulness, no matter the circumstances (Psalm 71:5):

“O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood.”

That’s hard to swallow, no doubt, and trusting no matter the circumstances. In my hardest seasons, hope has felt the most difficult, yet those are the very places where I’ve grown closest to the Lord.

Walking Out Hope in Hard Places

Someone I love deeply almost lost their life. It is truly a miracle they are alive. And yet, when asked if they were willing to seek Jesus, the answer was no. Even in the face of death and miraculous survival, they were unwilling to turn to Him. I am heartbroken, but I am still walking out hope.

While I don’t see what I want to see, I know God never stops working. I cling to Daniel 9:23:

“The moment you began praying, a command was given, and now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God.”

Maybe you are hoping for something today, something deeper. To be able to afford what you need. For the hard place you’re in to ease up. To be loved. To not feel so alone. For the heartache to stop, or at least soften.

I can’t promise that your situation will change, but I can promise that your life will change.

Colossians 1:3–6 says:

“We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven… This same Good News is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives.”

Romans 5:3–5 reminds us:

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment.”

This is the hope we hold:

• Hope of what God has reserved for us in heaven

• Hope of salvation

• Hope that does not disappoint

• Hope of God’s truth

• Hope that tethers our souls

• Hope in the steadfast Word of God and His unchanging character

• Hope in the victory over sin and death

• Hope in the blood of Christ that washes away all our sins

The Source of True Hope

This is where we place our confidence. This is where we take refuge.

Romans 15:13 says:

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

The King James Version says:

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Only God is the source of true hope. Deep hope. And He doesn’t give it sparingly, He fills us to overflowing with joy and peace when we choose to trust and believe.

I’ve been in places where I couldn’t see a way out. My life was falling apart. I knew who God was, but I had not fully trusted Him. Seven months pregnant with our second child, my marriage was unraveling. I begged my husband not to go out again. He went anyway.

I fell to my knees, sobbing, and cried out, “God, I can’t do this anymore.” And I heard the Lord say, “Good. Now let Me.”

I needed hope, joy, peace, and love. When I surrendered, I realized that God is not only the source of hope and peace, but He is love.

1 John 4:16 says:

“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”

And John 16:33 reminds us:

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

A Changed Life

A Christmas Carol shows the miraculous transformation of a selfish man. I’ve seen that kind of change in real life.

My husband was once a drunk and manipulative man. It seemed impossible that he would ever change. During our separation, he called a meeting with our pastor and others, intending to tell us how wrong we were. But when our pastor opened in prayer, everything changed. Instantly. It was like Paul when the scales fell from his eyes. He looked different. He spoke differently. And he has been a new man ever since.

Our marriage was healed. Our hearts were restored. Our lives were changed forever.

It truly is a wonderful life when one person realizes that their life matters.

You Were Created on Purpose

Every life has purpose. Your life has purpose. You were born on purpose, for a purpose, created by the Most High God who saw you and loved you before you ever took a breath.

Psalm 139 says:

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb… You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.”

So many people are walking around today without hope, or with a false hope. Social media, television, and culture promise fulfillment, but they can never fill the void that only Christ can.

Why Christmas Is the Season of Hope

Christmas is considered the season of hope because of this truth from Isaiah 9:

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us… And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace… His government and its peace will never end.”

Christmas is the reminder and celebration that God sent His Son, fully God and fully man, to save us from sin and death. It is the celebration of eternal hope. A hope that does not disappoint. A peace that will never end. His comfort. His joy. His love. His presence. A Father who remains forever.

The lights, decorations, music, food, and gifts are all wonderful—but they are temporary.

The true hope of the season is forever.

Every single day, we have access to the King of Kings.