The Gift of Hope

When we wish for something, we're uncertain if we'll get it.

When we're optimistic, we have a naïve confidence that things will improve.

We know these are uncertain dreams. Still, we can't help but yearn for better days.

But Christian hope is different than wishing or optimism. Hope is a confident assurance in God and his promises, despite our circumstances.

As we begin our Advent journey, Paul's words in Romans 8 explain how our Triune God gives us unshakable hope:

• We can know God personally, calling him, "Abba, Father!" (verse 15).
• Jesus gave his life to free us from sin and death (verse 2).
• The Holy Spirit dwells within us (verse 11).

As the Psalmist said, "For you are my hope, Lord GOD" (Psalm 71:5).

With God so near to us, we can trust that he knows our anxieties, worries, and problems.

And since we are near to God, we personally know that he cares for us.

In Romans 8:31-32, Paul asks, "What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?"

When we hope that God is working all things together for our good, we're anchored to truth, reality, and eternity.

Further, Paul reminds us that our hope is not just personal but cosmic: God has promised to restore all creation to the freedom given to us in Christ (verses 20-21). This Advent, let God expand your imagination as you attempt to grasp the breathtaking scope of God's restoration. When Jesus returns, God will solve every problem and conquer evil, injustice, sin, and death forever!

This Advent, we remember God's faithfulness in sending Jesus to be born in Bethlehem. Already, the down payment for God's restoration of all things has been fully paid. So now we wait—with confident hope—for the day we will move into our eternal home.

Come, Lord Jesus!