Can you believe Advent season is here! Our writings for the next four weeks will center on the advent themes of HOPE, PEACE, JOY, AND LOVE. May the Lord bless you and keep you and may His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. Amen.
Listen:
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)
Reflect:
Hope and I don’t have the best of relationships these days. One dear friend is trying another round of IVF and I don’t know how to hope for her, how to believe alongside her, how to not go into self-protection mode in case this doesn’t work out…again.
The word in Greek for hope here is elpizó, meaning to hope, to expect, to trust. As we’re starting this Advent season, the season of coming, of arrival of the Saviour King, it is only timely to reflect on the hope that we have in this waiting, in this expecting. What are we waiting for and what are we expecting?
I confess – I am expecting an easy life, a smooth political context, healthy babies and children, less oppression and persecution all around the world, less disease, less physical pain, loneliness, or addiction, easy relationships, and I can go on and on. I can imagine that these were the desires and expectations of the people living two thousand years ago when the announcement of the Birth happened. I wonder what the shepherds thought of as they knelt before the Baby. I wonder what the wise men envisioned as they traveled across countries to find the new King. I wonder what the disciples expected from Jesus when they were called to follow him.
What is the unshakeable assurance that makes the expecting, the waiting, the disappointment, the wondering not just bearable or survivable, but enlivening? The King came to us even when we did not care about him. The King chose to do this motivated by love. The King still chooses you and me. My story with him does not end with the dark or the hard. There’s more.
Prayer of Response:
King Jesus, your coming in the form of a (non-threatening) baby, your waiting to grow up and start your public ministry, your open arms on the Cross – they all teach me that there is purpose in hoping, there is life in waiting, there is joy in believing. Help my unbelief. Amen.
Questions to Ponder:
- What are you expecting or waiting for in this season? What is this waiting producing in your soul?
- What do you do with disappointment or disillusionment?
- Do you believe that your story is not over yet? What does that mean?
Breath Prayers:
Join us in praying breath prayers each day. We invite you to write your own as well.
Inhale (Breathe in): King Jesus,
Exhale (Breathe out): I wait for you.
Inhale (Breathe in): King Jesus,
Exhale (Breathe out): I welcome You in my life.
—Submitted by: Diana Anton
Diana lives in Bucharest, Romania and serves as the Executive Director of Lifesprings International. Her passion is to see women worldwide connected, encouraged and prepared to keep bringing the love of Jesus Christ to our communities.
Her favorite thing in this season is to play with Adam and read to him (he is almost 15 months old), to go on walks with Bogdan and Adam, and to dream big for what God has for the community of Lifesprings in 2026. You can find her on instagram at life.on.farm.road or on her blog at www.lifeonfarmroad.com.