Hope is Born

“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”
Psalm 33:20-22

Winter where I live at times means freezing temperatures, and it always means bare trees, some rain, some fog and clouds. In other places winter means long and very dark nights, below zero temperatures and snow, lots of snow. The bleakness of winter can for many make life seem hopeless.

Then one day as we venture outside, there is a bud on a tree or some grass peaking through the snow and the hope of spring is restored. We know that winter will come to an end and the renewal that spring signals helps to get us through the rest of winter.

Life on this fallen and broken planet, with its loss, its illnesses that are no respecter of persons, the destructive power of creation itself and the unimaginable violence committed by mankind can also feel hopeless at times.

King David, a man of faith, who looked forward with great joy to the day the Lord would make good on all His promises and sang about it even when things seemed bleak to him. Then it happened, an angel visited a peasant girl and told her she was favored and part of God’s Plan. A carpenter had a dream letting him know it was ok to take that same girl for his wife and then in a Bethlehem stable hope was born.

Life is tough, there are no doubts about that, but Jesus was born to bring us salvation and with that salvation comes, hope. We no longer have to wait for it, we just have to reach out with our hearts and grab hold of it. 

Hope is born and it is an everlasting hope so grab hold and let your heart rejoice even in the midst of life’s winter storm. 

A Prayer
 Father, thank you for the hope that was born with your Son. Thank you that you are our help and our shield. Thank you for your unfailing love. For those who are feeling hopeless, restore them. For those filled with hope help them to share it with others. In the name of Jesus who brought hope with His birth we pray, Amen.