Luke 1:5-17
Verse 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.
The hope we place in our desires change over the years of our lives. What we would have placed on our Christmas wish list as a child won’t do for us as adults. As children we put in many hours thinking about all the things we desire and not just at Christmas. A doll, bike or pet can cause the youngest among us to hope for the right shaped package under the tree come Christmas.
As we grow up our wish list may change but we may still find ourselves thinking about our desires often, hoping against all hope that they will come true. Instead of handing our handwritten lists to parents, we tend to send them in way of prayers. Our desires tend to be less about things and more about situations.
This older, righteous couple had been hoping for a child. God had His reasons for not giving the couple a child when they wanted one because He had a child for them which would fulfill a prophecy from many years before. The nation of Israel had been hoping for a Messiah. Their desire for the Promised One wasn’t so much for the reason He had been promised but more about what they thought He would do for them.
It is important that our hope is based on Christ for who He is not solely for what He has done for us. At Christmas it is easy to think about Him as the Baby King in the manger and not think about the magnitude of hope His birth would bring. They were hoping for a political savior but God had so much more in store for His people. And just like those people of old we tend to desire Him for what we want Him to be instead of what He wants to be in our lives. Maybe we need to examine the desires we hope for.
Making It Personal
What are the desires of your heart? Do you have any spiritual desires? What do you hope to learn about Jesus during this season?
Making It Personal Kids
What kinds of things are on your wish list? What do you think Jesus would want you to wish for? Why do you think He would want those things for you?
Closing Prayer
Father, You have given us great reason to hope. Please help us to hope in You instead of the things of this world. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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