Take a seat and let’s continue our trip through Advent. We still have more rewards of HOPE to discover!
My son John delights in his children. He tosses little Lydia in the air and she whoops with excitement. When he builds complex Rube Goldberg-type ramps with Ruthie and Heidi, their eyes glow with pleasure as the marbles roll through tunnels and over bridges, dash through spinners and knock down dominoes, only to then send a matchbox car racing across the room. John gets as much pleasure out of these activities as his girls.
What does this have to do with our theme of hope? We’ve seen that hope allows us to experience God’s care when we face troubles today, not just in the future. As we begin a new week, we see another result of hope: the assurance that, the Father loves us not in a remote sort of abstract way, but he delights in his children. God delights in us. Psalm 147:10,11 says, “The strength of a horse does not impress [God]; how puny in his sight is the strength of a man. Rather, the Lord’s delight is in those who honor him, in those who put their hope in his unfailing love.” And as Zephaniah 3:17 puts it, “He will exult over you by singing a happy song.”
What could be better than having the Sovereign Lord of the Universe delight in us? We don’t have to wait until we walk into heaven to see his smile and hear his laugh. When we put our hope in him we can experience those right now.
Can you think of a happy Christmas carol that you could sing today that might encourage those around you? You will find it encourages you too!
