Trust That Brings Hope

 TRUST THAT BRINGS HOPE

Read Psalm 71.5

Christmas is coming! We string lights around our homes, hang ornaments on our trees, and drink hot chocolate. There is just something about this season that causes us

to feel warm and fuzzy. You might even say it fills us with hope.

How Does the Bible Talk about Hope?

We're beginning our study with that idea of hope. Typically, we might think of hope as the feeling we get when we want or expect something to happen. You might think of the feeling you have when you watch a school sports game and anticipate a win for your team, or you might imagine the feeling leading up to Christmas when you're thinking about all the things you dream of seeing under the tree on Christmas Day.

While today we often use the word "hope" interchangeably with "wishful thinking," the authors of the Bible primarily used it to describe a confident expectation that something was going to happen. They didn't use "hope" when speaking of things they merely desired, instead, they used it when speaking of things they knew would come to pass. Therefore, when the biblical authors spoke of God offering hope to His people, they were speaking of their full confidence and trust that God would fulfill His promises.

This week's main verse is Psalm 71.5, which reads,

"For you are my hope, Lord God, my confidence from my youth." 

This verse tells us that the hope God offers us is one of confidence, and such hope can be attained even at a young age. Hope in God is not reserved for adults or even just for the biblical figures you'll read about this week. The hope of God is available to all, young and old who put their trust in Him.

God Gives Hope to His People

As we begin our Advent journey, we'll learn about the lives of people from the Old Testament and events that took place before Jesus's birth. In doing so, we'll see the challenges those people faced and the hope that God offered them. We will meet Adam and Eve and see the promise of hope they received that the evil in this world will be defeated. We will meet Abraham and learn about his hope for a purpose and a family. Moses will show us his hope in God's deliverance, and David will

teach us to hope in God's timing. But before we meet these people, we'll first look at the person of Jesus, the man who truly fulfills all hope. We'll see Him for who He is as the God of the universe but also as a human being. Every person we learn about this week will reveal how God invites us to trust Him and offers us hope through Jesus Christ. This hope is not only for our present situations but also for our future.

Reflect on the word "hope." What does it mean to you? 

What are things you hope for? 

What songs or movies make you think about hope? 

What comes to mind when you read the phrase "the hope of God"?

Pray and ask God to reveal how He offers you hope through Jesus Christ this week.

Song to reflect on: "At Last, the King" from the album Ghost of a King by The Gray Havens.