Psalm 62:5-8
Verse 5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him.
Hope is a word which is tossed around frequently without thinking too much about what it really means. It can be a feeling of anticipation or a desire for certain things to happen. It can also mean a feeling of trust. As we look forward to the celebration of the birth of the Christ we will use all of these definitions to understand what we should be doing during advent.
Yesterday we started talking about how the Israelites had a desire for the Promised Messiah to come. They hoped certain things would happen and that desire grew generation to generation. Each generation had their own vision of what it would look like but they awaited what they hoped would change their world. But the biggest problem was what they hoped would happen wasn’t in line with what God had promised.
Sometimes we have the same issue in our lives. We put our hopes in to the things we think will be the answer to solve what we see as problems. Maybe it is a desire for a child that we know will make our family complete. Or maybe it is a relationship we think will make our life all it is supposed to be. Maybe we think we need a new job, a new car, a new wardrobe or a countless other things we think would make our lives much better. And it isn’t just in our personal lives, is it? If only this person was in public office or that person was out of office. If only we did this or that at church instead of the way we do it… Yes, the list could go on and on.
There are so many things to hope for but each of those have little to no eternal value. This season is to remind us what or Whom our hope should be in. As our key verse reminds us, “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him.” Looking to things and people of this world to bring us what we hope for in life will only lead to short-lived satisfaction. Like the Israelites who demanded a king – which was like saying God wasn’t enough – and then they learned having a king wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, we may find ourselves thinking that as soon as we get what we hope for, all will be well. The truth is when we dream small, we miss God’s big picture.
Making It Personal
What are the things you hope for which you think will make your life better? How do you think they will make your life better? Do you think they are the same things God desires for you?
Making It Personal Kids
What are things you hope for? Why do you hope for them? What things do you think God wants for you?
Closing Prayer
Father, we can be so shallow in our desires. Please help us learn what we should be hoping for during this time of Advent. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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