A Thrill of Hope

A thrill of Hope, a weary world rejoices.

Hope doesn’t always feel like a thrill.  Sometimes hope feels terrifying. Especially when what you hope in hasn’t come to pass yet.  To Hope is a risk. To hope is to trust that you will not be let down. Biblical Hope is confidence that what God says is true, is in fact true.  Hoping in Christ is never a risk. It is actually the most sure thing. But in our human experience we have no category for the unseen certainty that we have in Christ.  So it can at times feel like a risk.  

Hope, in my experience, very rarely feels thrilling.  It feels like a step off a ledge at times. And at others, it feels like a long wait looking longingly into the distance. 

But on Christmas morning we were given the thrill of hope.  A hope fulfilled and a hope promised. The new born Messiah had finally come.  A fulfillment of a long awaited promise. And yet, it brought a renewed hope for what was yet to come.  The Messiah ushered in a season that would bring a future peace. As we look at the babe in the manger, we remember that God has not forgotten us, nor has He given up on us.  He broke his silence with a babes cry. 

He made good on His promise of a Messiah, a Savior.  It was the ultimate fulfillment. But not the finish line.  This was His way of renewing our hope in the future fulfillment.  As we receive His salvation, he restores our strength to run for the prize.  He reminds us that He is victorious, we just have to stay the course. We have fulfilled Hope in the Savior.  And fulfilled hope in the coming salvation. We can live fully in the now and not yet.

The Thrill of Hope is that God has already accomplished salvation and defeated death through Jesus Christ.  But that He is patiently awaiting His return so that the lost (us) would be saved. It is like when peace is declared and the soldiers patiently await their homecoming.

With His first breath Jesus set into motion our salvation.  God became flesh and died a death He did not deserve so that we might be declared righteous.  

We do not need to wait with worry and anxiousness for His coming.  Because He already came once to purchase His people. And He will come again to usher us home. 

So if hope feels scary today, remember that God always gives us a glimpse if we keep our eyes up.  He wants us to wait in eager expectation. Assured of His follow through. Because He has not let us down yet.  And if we feel let down, remember that the story is not over yet.