Tuesday, December 19, 2023

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 5:5

Kim says that some linguists believe that word “hope” has its roots in the word, “hop.” That means that when we hope in something, we leap in expectation, thinking about the possibility. Think about that. Hope is not wishing, but it is a leap forward. God’s message of hope propels us into action. 

I remember when I was scheduled to speak at a conference and had just been diagnosed with leukemia. It looked like I would not make it. I had been struggling with post-treatment low blood counts that landed me in the hospital. Amid this, the Lord spoke to a dear friend who sponsored the conference. He told her to design the flier and prepare for me to come. In this case, hope did not accompany the passivity of waiting to see what would happen; hope was set in motion by the things she did. She expected God to do what he said. That expectation did not come from what she heard about God in the future, but was grounded in what she knew him to be in the past.  

PRAYER: Lord, let your hope move me into action. I choose to not be passive, waiting for this or that to happen. All my hope is in you. In the Name of Jesus.  Amen. 

Kim, Jay Y. 2020. “HOPE: AN EXPECTANT LEAP: Advent Reminds Us That Christian Hope Is Shaped Both by What Has Happened and What’s Going to Happen Again.” Christianity Today 64 (8): 60–64.