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Advent Day 5

Hope: Week One—Day Five

But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:31 (NRSV)

This year has felt like a marathon. There has been so much stress, anxiety, bitterness, and obstacles. Nothing has been normal. I feel like if I hear the phrase “uncertain times” one more time I am going to explode. We really need some certain times if you ask me. We need new energy. We need some encouragement.

In Hebrew, the word “wait” can also mean “hope.” We talked about the connection between waiting and hoping in our last devotion. We discussed how God calls us to practice hope with patience and imagination. But this verse introduces another element to hope which God promised to provide: strength.

Waiting can take a lot of energy out of you. Without God’s intervention we can become discouraged or exhausted by the circumstances in which we find ourselves. But God promised if you wait for Him, if you put your hope in Him, He will renew your strength. It is a message of endless endurance and profound support. Isaiah presents us with a heroic image of a runner who never gets tired, and paints us a picture of a majestic bird soaring above all troubles.

This verse reminds me of where we find hope in our Christmas hymns. There’s a line in “O Holy Night” which goes: “A thrill of hope – the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!”

I love the idea that hope is thrilling. There’s an energy and strength behind hope. It feels like electricity animating our very bones.

The hope of God is not a weak and fragile thing. God’s hope is dynamic and strong. It energizes us in the midst of “uncertain times.” It makes us agile enough to overcome the most challenging of obstacles. God’s hope is thrilling and brings joy to all the world.

Maybe this seems unattainable to you. Maybe you are weary from a year of uncertainty. Engage God in conversation. Ask for the strength and thrill of hope this Advent.

Pastor B Advent, Winter

Advent Day 4

Hope: Week One – Day Four

From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. – Isaiah 64:4 (NRSV)

What a mysterious passage! This verse sets up an interesting theological idea. The first half of the verse talks about how amazing and powerful God is. From generation to generation there has never been anyone more marvelous than our God. God is the creator of the world and Savior of all humankind.

This week in Advent, we are focusing on the spiritual discipline of hope. Being good at hope (and yes, you can be good at hope) means you must have two things: patience and Imagination. Consider what it means to be patient. Nobody hopes for things they already have, rather we have to wait for the things we are hoping for. Verse four says that God only works for those who wait on Him, not the people who rush to get things done their own way. But we shouldn’t just sit around waiting for God to work without any idea of what we are looking for.

Think about it this way: there was once a little girl who was participating in a scavenger hunt. As she wandered through the yard she got more and more upset because she couldn’t find any of the clues that her parents hid for her. Finally, she gave up and asked for help. When her brother came over, he easily found one of the clues and handed it to the little girl. She was shocked! The little girl had walked past the clue a dozen times, but she didn’t realize that’s what she was supposed to be looking for. She lacked the imagination to see what was right in front of her. Today’s passage calls us to practice hope with patience and imagination. We are not supposed to wait around doing nothing and expecting God to act. We must remember what our God is like and then live into the expectation of what God will do. Take time today to ask God for the right combination of patience and imagination.

Pastor B Advent, Winter

Advent Day 3

Hope: Week One – Day Three

Make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! – Isaiah 64:2 (NRSV)

This has been a pretty crazy year with the pandemic, celebrity deaths, and a vicious presidential election. We’ve seen politicians on all sides behave badly and struggle to provide good leadership for our country. The way we do school and church has changed in ways we wouldn’t have imagined beforehand. We missed big events and milestones all in the hope that we could keep each other safe and healthy. 2020 has been tough; if 2020 was a food, it would be toothpaste-covered orange slices. But this verse is one we need for today. It’s about hoping for a better future.

In the second half of this verse, Isaiah asks that God might make the nations of the world tremble. He doesn’t specify which nations; he probably means all nations. It’s tough to say what is going on exactly, but it’s a pretty good bet that it had not been a good year. If we think about the historical context, this was likely written during the exile when all of Israel was under the thumb of foreign enemies. For Israel, things were rough, and it felt like the whole world was turning against God. So, what does Isaiah want? He’s not interested in maintaining the status quo. Isaiah wants God to shake things up!

Advent is the beginning of the church calendar, and this prayer seems to be a wish list for God to do new and exciting things with the new year. Remember that this week in Advent we are focusing on hope. As Christians, we are called to live with the hope and anticipation that God is still working in the world.

Imagine what the new year will be like for just a minute. How would you like for God to shake things up in our world? How would you like God to shake things up in your community or your school? Take some time today to ask God to shake things up. Tell Him what you might want this to look like. Allow the hope of Christ to shape your vision for the future during this Advent season. Rest in the hope that God wants to shake things up!