I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. — Romans 15:13 NLT
Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas, but even without a calendar it’s easy to know when it starts because of the Advent wreath Many churches have a large, beautiful wreath near the front of the altar, and when the season of Advent begins, the first candle in the Advent wreath is lit.
The first Advent candle, known as the Prophet’s Candle, represents hope. Throughout the Old Testament many prophets, especially Isaiah, waited in hope for the Messiah they knew would come. None of them knew when God’s promise of a Savior would be fulfilled, but they kept trusting in God, because He is always faithful.
We all have things we’re hoping for. Some of them we can write on our Christmas list, and maybe they’ll appear under the tree. Other things we bring to God in prayer. But sometimes it’s hard to stay hopeful when the thing you’re waiting for isn’t happening.
As we begin this season of Advent, let’s embrace this time of hope. No matter what our circumstances look like, we know — just like the prophets knew — that God is faithful and good. He loves us, and He wants to draw us closer to Him. We can let go of our worry, stress, and envy, because our hope is in Him.
What are you hoping for this holiday season?
Can you think of a time when something you’d been hoping for finally happened?
What do you do when you feel your hope start to waver?
Excerpted with permission from The Advent Project copyright Zondervan.
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