Advent 2024 | Week 1: Hope
How to wait with hope for Jesus' second coming | Hope Sunday | Advent Series 2024 | Emmanuel, God with us | Jesus Christ | Christianity
December 1, 2024: Hope | December 8, 2024: Peace | December 15, 2024: Joy | December 22, 2024: Love | Christmas Day 2024
Our Advent 2024 Journey
Welcome, dear readers, to my third-annual series on Advent. Wow, three years! Happy first Sunday in Advent!
I’m doing something a little different from my previous two series [read: Advent Series 2022]. This season, I’m focusing on the second coming of Jesus a bit more than I have in the past. During the Advent season, yes, we focus on the first coming of Emmanuel, God with us. Advent also encourages us to look forward to the Son of God’s second coming.
Hope Sunday
This Sunday, we light the first of the three purple candles, the Hope candle (also called the prophets’ candle). We learned about the promised Messiah from the Old Testament prophets, God’s glorious hope proclaimed by these Hebrew messengers:
Isaiah 7:14 (BSB)
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.
~~~~~
Isaiah 9:6-7 (BSB)
6 For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given,
and the government will be upon His shoulders.
And He will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.7 Of the increase of His government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on the throne of David
and over his kingdom,
to establish and sustain it
with justice and righteousness
from that time and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.
Those among God’s people who were faithful to Him believed in God’s promise and wrote of the coming King. They longed for His coming, anticipating and hoping for their faithful God to fulfill His promise.
Psalm 130:5-8 (BSB)
5 I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait,
and in His word I put my hope¹.6 My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning—
more than watchmen wait for the morning.7 O Israel, put your hope¹ in the LORD,
for with the LORD is loving devotion²,
and with Him is redemption in abundance.8 And He will redeem Israel
from all iniquity.
¹ Verses 5 and 7, “hope” in Hebrew is: [ יָחַל - yachal].
² Verse 7, “loving devotion” in Hebrew is chesed. Read my post “What Is ‘Sticky Love’ and Why Does It Matter?” to learn what chesed means.
Yachal, Hopeful Waiting
What is this hope, this time of waiting that the Israelites faithfully held onto for so long? Let’s get a little “Bible nerdy” for a moment; from Strong’s Concordance:
“The Hebrew verb "yachal" primarily conveys the idea of waiting with expectation or hope. It is often used in contexts where there is a sense of anticipation for something positive or for divine intervention. The term implies a confident and patient trust in God's timing and promises, often in the face of uncertainty or adversity.
In ancient Israelite culture, waiting was not merely a passive activity but an active expression of faith. The agrarian society of the Israelites required patience and trust in God for the provision of rain and harvest. Similarly, in their spiritual lives, the Israelites were often called to wait on God's deliverance and fulfillment of His promises. This concept of hopeful waiting is deeply embedded in the Hebrew mindset and is reflected in their worship and prayers.”
[ Source: Strong’s Concordance: 3176, yachal - BibleHub.com ]
Wow. Did you catch the key phrases?
Anticipation for divine intervention
A confident and patient trust in God’s timing and promises
An active expression of faith while waiting on God’s deliverance and fulfillment of His promises.
God’s people waited a very long time for their King’s first coming, and Yahweh kept His promise when the time was right. We who wait for Jesus’ second coming can learn from these, and other, lessons.
Why We’re Still Waiting
Since Jesus’ ascension to His Father’s throne room, we Jesus followers have been waiting a long time for His promised second coming. Why are we still waiting?
2 Peter 3:8-9 (BSB)
8 Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.
God is not willing that any should perish.
Whenever we might feel weary of waiting for Jesus’ second coming, let’s pray and ask the Holy Spirit to mold our heart to be more like God’s heart: Patient until all have heard the good news, and have had the opportunity to repent and come home to Him.
Let’s Practice Hopeful Waiting
So, what do we do until Jesus returns? We learn from God’s faithful people and we practice hopeful waiting. How do we do this? What does it look like?
Anticipation for (looking forward to) divine intervention
A confident and patient trust in God’s timing and promises
An active expression of faith while waiting on God’s deliverance and fulfillment of His promises
In addition to learning from the ancient Israelites, the New Testament is filled with wise counsel. While I was preparing this post, these verses in Paul’s letter to the Romans stood out to me:
Romans 5:1-5 (BSB)
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.3 Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
By God’s power and encouragement we can live each day secure in:
the peace we have with God
God’s amazing grace
rejoicing in the hope of seeing God in all His glory
rejoicing when we suffer for it refines our hope, God’s hope, which never fails us
We have the hope of the glory of God, which we will see revealed before us one day. And this hope will not disappoint us (will not fail) because of God’s amazing and “sticky” love, His chesed, His loving devotion for us.
The baby Jesus we celebrate and commemorate during the Advent season is our victorious, risen, and powerful King of kings and Lord of lords. Through His suffering on the cross and His resurrection, He has overcome all the principalities, powers, and authorities in the spiritual realm.
This Advent season, let’s focus on this victorious Jesus who gives us His grace, peace, and joy. The victorious Son of God Who has also given us the best present ever: New life in Him with His Holy Spirit in us. [ See my series on the Holy Spirit]
Your Turn
Take time and think through how you can practice hopeful waiting.
Ask yourself how you can live in His peace, His grace, and His joy.
And, ask yourself how you can rejoice when you suffer. What would that look like for you?
(It’s a hard one for me to consider, but I’m working on it.)
For my readers who enjoy learning about biblical languages, here’s a video that explains the words for “hope” in Hebrew and in Koinē Greek in an easy-to-understand way.
Video
BibleProject - Hope (4 mins 33 secs)
Maranatha, come Lord Jesus.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Conversation & Community
Let’s talk about hope (hopeful waiting), and I hope (see what I did there?) you’ll join in the conversation by posting a Comment:
What is it about Jesus’ first coming that gives you hope today?
What is it about Jesus’ promised second coming that gives you hope for the future?
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"Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; all day long I wait for You." Psalm 25:5 BSB
GOD bless you, dear sister Jenise, and yours.
Thank you for your faithful devotion and all your encouraging letters. You are a blessing.
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7 BSB
LORD, as we wait for You, keep us under the shadow of Your mighty protection, guarding our fragile hearts and minds against anything that would attempt to distract us from waiting patiently. Yes, LORD, You are coming this we know, and in this, we hope. Come quickly, LORD.
"Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains. You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord's coming is near." James 5:7-8 BSB
Thank You, LORD!
GOD bless you all!
Draw Me Close to You: Instrumental Worship & Prayer Music with Nature CHRISTIAN piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0e7hnAZnwI&t=6968s
I fear that we won't be waiting too much longer and after seeing The Remaining last night, I hope that I'll be long gone before the Rapture comes. It was a much scarier version than was depicted in Left Behind.
Have you seen it?
Now as to waiting while suffering, that's a hard one. If that means I have to live with constant pain until He finally takes me, I can do that, but I would rather not, of course.
Thanks to you Jenise, for this blog and its outreach. It will take a lot more people doing what we are trying to do to bring more believers to God, but we can keep trying. 🙏