What are your hopes for this Christmas?
Where have you seen God at work recently?
Have you noticed how people are longing for more?
“There’s got to be something out there.”
This is a quote I’ve been hearing more and more these days here and there. And the answer to it is, “Yes, of course there is – it’s God himself.” In Psalm 39:7, we read that David sings to God, “Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.”
You might be a pioneer and risk-taker like my friend Chloe. Chloe is a third year student doing International Disaster Management and Humanitarian Response in Manchester. Last year when she went back to uni, she realised the lack of hope in her course as people started thinking, "there must be an answer to all this suffering." Hence, she started a meeting for her course to pray and to talk about “Hope in Humanitarianism.” Since then, they’ve been meeting weekly to talk about hope and as a result, Jacob found hope in Jesus and got baptised. This year, they’re doing an Alpha Course together to explore more of hope in Jesus and what’s it like to have faith in him as they saw a hunger for more. Chloe did all this because she’s very relational as well as quick to give things a go.
However, not all of us are pioneers like Chloe. That’s ok and it doesn’t mean you can’t do anything to help people find the same hope in Jesus.
Jesus is your Living Hope, you may not see it, but you have also been put where you are now for a purpose – God's purpose. As my wise student friend once said, “trust God with where you are.” By being authentically you and doing what you do with integrity, you are naturally bringing so much light and hope into your course, flat, and the world around you.
I love this quote by C.H. Spurgeon,
“Hope itself is like a star - not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity.”
This is my prayer for you this advent. I pray that you’d be a star in the night of adversity. That you’d have more hope to see more of God at work and give more hope to those around you.
