December 2
Hope (Part II)

Hope:  "An expectation or belief in the fulfillment of something desired. Present hurts and uncertainty over what the future holds create the constant need for hope. Worldwide poverty, hunger, disease, and human potential to generate terror and destruction create a longing for something better. Historically people have looked to the future with a mixture of longing and fear. Many have concluded that there is no reasonable basis for hope and therefore to hope is to live with an illusion."  P.K. McAlister

That leads to a cynicism towards Christmas doesn't it?  The world seems to get worse not better, people's hearts seem to harden not soften, injustice continues its sad march through our streets and to hope that it will get better, for some feels like an illusion.  But Christmas opens up the door of hope again, advent invites us to peak into the corners of hope...but its not a hope based on ourselves, on our 'warhorses' of our abilities to change our world that is false hope.  But its a hope based on God, on his reputation and character:

Psalm 33:20-22

      Our soul waits for the LORD;
      he is our help and our shield.
      For our heart is glad in him,
      because we trust in his holy name.
      Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
      even as we hope in you.

And yet...to live without hope is like living without God “remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12).

Read the verses of Psalm 33 again, slowly, ask yourself--what keeps your soul from waiting on the Lord?  What keeps your heart from being glad in him?  What robs you of still hoping in the Lord today?
"Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you."