The Advent Adventure- 24 Days to Christmas: The Hope of Everyone
“You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas.”
Psalm 65:5 (NLT)
Today is officially the first day of Advent. Advent is the twenty-four days leading up to Christmas and the purpose is to prepare our hearts so we can experience the life changing power of Christmas. Maybe you joined us for the pre-Advent devotionals this last week, but if you weren’t able to, I’m so glad you’re joining us now as we kickoff Advent together.
There are four weeks of Advent and there are four themes: one for each week. The theme for the first week of advent is Hope. So today through next Saturday the devotional will be about Hope. I can’t think of a better topic as we start our Advent Adventure together.
The late Hal Lindsey once said, “Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air...but only one second without hope.” So let me ask you. How is your hope quota? Are you filled with hope? Do you have confidence even in an uncertain world that God is working all things together for your good or has the uncertainty of life shaken your faith and left you feeling hopeless. I love what the Psalmist said in Psalm 65:5 (NLT), “You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas.”
King David wrote that Psalm. He believed God was the hope of everyone on earth because he had experienced God as his Savior and Shepherd. David was speaking both personally and prophetically in this Psalm. He understood that God had chosen Israel to be a light to the Gentiles that would ultimately be fulfilled in the Advent of Christ, the coming Messiah! Jesus Christ is our Blessed Hope – the only hope of the world! Have you experienced the hope He offers in a hopeless world? Another Old Testament prophet named Jeremiah did. In Jeremiah 14:8 (NLT), he wrote, “O Hope of Israel, our Savior in times of trouble….”
David, Jeremiah and the people of Israel experienced that hope. Have you? In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul says something striking about hope in Ephesians 2:12 (NLT) when he connects hope exclusively with God. He writes, “In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.” Did you catch the connection? When we are without God, we are without hope! Isn’t it time you experienced real hope? You can. The first candle of Advent we light today is one of HOPE! It reminds us of the only hope for mankind- Jesus Christ! What the Old Testament lived in expectation to come was fulfilled in Bethlehem for all the world!
That promise was fulfilled the first Christmas morning. The angel told Joseph, “‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel’--which means, ‘God with us.’" Matthew 1:20-23 (NIV)
As we countdown to the celebration of that Advent we can find hope, blessed hope that God is with us and will save us and sustain us throughout eternity through His Son, Jesus Christ!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.