AdventSample

Advent

Day 2:  A Tiny Hope

Last week, after a hot, blustery, windy, December day in Durban, I found myself sitting on the veranda. It was turning into a typical summer afternoon in our subtropical city. The sun had disappeared behind clouds and it felt too early to be so dark. The wind had died down to nothing, and left behind it a heavy stillness. The clouds were green-gray and low, the dogs stopped barking and even the birds were suddenly hushed. It felt as if the whole world was waiting. Waiting for the clouds to roll out some thunder, for a storm to rumble in. 

There was a weighty silence as I looked up at the sky, wondering when the rain would arrive. The reason I was waiting with such anticipation for rain was that I had been working all week in my garden. The grass was dry, and the soil crumbling. What I really longed for was a good downpour to drench the ground, and saturate the freshly turned soil. If I hadn’t been planting seeds, I would not have been paying attention to the incoming storm. 

If our hearts are like gardens, then hope is the seed that we put into the soil. We plant our dreams, our desires, our expectations like vulnerable young plants, and we hope they will take root and grow. These tiny hopes affect our attention to what God is doing around us.

In Isaiah 61, we read of the promise that God made to His people - a Messiah would come with good news for the oppressed and the humble. These promises planted seeds of hope in the hearts of Israel, and they were filled with anticipation and longing for their Saviour. They were looking for signs of the coming storm, listening carefully for the roll of thunder. 

If we fill our flower beds with seeds of hope, we will long for God to bring rain. 

If we leave the beds to be empty and barren, then we won’t be watching the horizon for God’s provision.

REFLECTION QUESTION: How hopeful do you feel about next year? Have you planted your heart with some big dreams and hopes? Or have you left them empty to be filled with weeds and rocks? 

Take some time to write down what you hope will happen in the year ahead.

Without hope planted in our hearts, we don’t have the same longing for Christ’s arrival. 

Without hope, we might not be paying attention to what God is doing in the world. 

Advent is an opportunity to plant seeds of hope in our hearts, to remind ourselves of God’s promise that Jesus is coming, so that hope will rise again. 

In Luke 1, Mary recognised what was happening - the Messiah was about to be born! She would have heard Isaiah 61 sung and taught, and it planted something in her heart. Read her song and take note of what she sings. 

Here are some of the promises that Christmas reminds us of. 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Which one of these will you plant in your heart, and allow your tiny hope to grow your anticipation and desperation for Jesus to arrive in your own life?

You can find 20 promises of Jesus that will give you hope from this link:

https://countingmyblessings.com/promises-of-jesus-hope/