Living Changed: At ChristmasSample

Hope

As Christians, we celebrate Christmas as a way to remember the hope we have in Jesus. Why then is it so easy to feel hopeless this time of year? Maybe it’s because we don’t fully understand what hope is and where it comes from.

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most popular Bible verses about hope. It says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

These aren’t just pretty words for us to frame or put on a coffee mug. They are a promise from God for us to cling to when we’re feeling hopeless. Even though these words were originally for the Israelites in Babylonian captivity, God is the same today as He was then. Because His character remains the same, we can trust that this promise is still true for us today.

In fact, if we look for them, we’ll find God’s promises to us are all throughout the Old Testament. Over and over, through the stories of His people, God shows us who He is and proves He is trustworthy.

One of God’s earliest promises to us is in Genesis when God says He will bless all the nations of the earth through Abraham. What God is saying is that the Messiah will be a descendant of Abraham and He will save all the people from their sins–not just the Jewish people, but anyone who believes in Him. Then in the New Testament, we see evidence that God is true to His word. The book of Matthew shows us that the genealogy of Jesus traces all the way back to Abraham, and the book of John tells us that whoever believes in Jesus will have eternal life. Our God is a promise keeper. He is our living hope.

Hope doesn’t come from material things or the empty promises of this world. True hope comes from knowing we will spend forever with Jesus. Compared to eternity in Heaven, our current circumstances are just a blip and gone in the blink of an eye. While that doesn’t mean we won’t feel pain, it does mean we can choose to look beyond our current pain to the better future that is to come.

Whatever you’re going through this holiday season, look to the promises of God for hope. He will never leave you and never fail you. He will always forgive you and always guide you. He is your strength, your rock, and your protection. When you feel like you’ll never do enough, have enough, or be enough, remember that these struggles are temporary and God has more for you. He loves you deeply and longs to spend time with you. Remember that He has promised you a future, and it’s more than you could ever imagine.