A Thrill of Hope

Hope came to Earth, and it is God's gift to you

Did your kids ever play opposite day? Mine would randomly declare a day to be an opposite day. They would wear their shirts backwards, say no when they meant yes, say hello when they meant goodbye, show a frowny face when they meant to smile…it was maddening. I could rarely talk them out of it. Had to just wait until they tired of the game.

The other day I was Christmas shopping at a department store. I found what I needed, paid the nice cashier, and proceeded to my car. After putting my packages away and getting into the driver’s seat, I sat there and I cried! I cried because I was weary. Weary of this pandemic, of not seeing people’s smiling faces, of trying to understand muffled voices behind masks, weary of waiting to see family members again, weary of news of confusion and unrest across our country. You know what I mean, I’m pretty sure you have your own list. Christmas is a joyous season but I was having a moment of just plain weary. It felt like opposite day!

So I did the thing that needs to be done when you have a “moment”, and even when you don’t feel like it. I called out to my God, my refuge, my very present help in trouble. You see, there is an antidote for our weariness. And that is Hope. Hope – to desire something with an expectation of fulfillment. God made promises to us that He has to keep. He cannot lie. On God’s baby’s first Christmas Hope came down to earth. That is the hope of Romans 5:5, “the hope that will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.”

When we place our hope in God and in His Word, we will not be disappointed in His response. Hope believes that God is for us and that His promises are true. Hope changes our hearts and our perspective. It changes how we live our lives. Hope renews our strength for the battle. Hope says keep holding on, there’s more to this story. Hope says it’s going to be okay. Every Christmas is a reminder and a renewal of that hope.

Life offers us many opportunities to lose contact with hope. I read this quote recently, “I’ve got so many troubles that if anything else happens to me, it will be two weeks before I can even worry about it!” It’s easy to lose our perspective, to imagine our problems becoming greater than our God. That’s when we become weary, when we carry the burdens God has promised to carry. (Psalm 68:19, Check it out!) Give those burdens back to Him today!

As I drove home that day, O Holy Night played on the radio. The lyrics include these lines:

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;

It seems that Adolphe Adam, the writer of this beloved song, may have truly understood weariness, and the antidote. Have you felt a thrill of hope? When your fiancé proposed? When the doctor confirmed your pregnancy? When the phone call announced that you have been hired for your dream job? When your heart first realized just how deeply God, maker of heaven and earth and all that is in them, loves YOU?

It’s a new and glorious day, Friends! Rejoice in the news that Hope came to earth and it is God’s gift to you. You may experience a weary moment, and that’s okay, declare it an opposite day. Smile though you don’t feel like it. Give though you feel empty. Encourage someone though you feel weak. I guarantee it will change your perspective. And most of all rejoice in the news that hope, the very heart of Christmas, was proven on that first Christmas day.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13 NIV)