How do we maintain hope in the promises Jesus gave?

This devotion was published on Sunday November 28th 2021

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, 
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” – Hebrews 12:1

Perhaps you’ve heard about flowers that are fire-followers. After a forest fire, rare beautiful flowers spread across the scarred land, where previously none were seen. This phenomenon is astounding and a mark of God’s grace. Where there were painful, uncontrollable fires, resulting in the potential death of trees, wildlife, buildings, or even people, comes a fragile, quiet beauty, to remind people that death is not final. This, my friends, is hope. These fire-following flowers have been known to appear even after extended periods of dormancy, in areas where forest fires haven’t occurred for years or decades. The tiny seeds lay in the ground, patiently waiting for their time, year after year; steadfast and long-suffering. But when they come? It’s a miraculous event. Beauty in the midst of ashes. A balm after the painful time. 

After sin entered the world and the hearts of mankind, a promised was given to Adam and Eve; a Savior would come! Sin’s scars and death is not final. It will be defeated, by a child. In the midst of vast destruction and pain, a newborn, fragile and small, is to be born and he will be one to conquer sin. Year after year, decade after decade, millennia after millennia, this hope held fast in the hearts of those who worshiped God. Prophets came and went. Kings and kingdoms rose and fell. And while the Savior tarried, more promises were given to reinforce their hope; God hadn’t forgotten, the Savior will come! 

Hope is a powerful thing. Even though it isn’t immune to grief, hope can endure under prolonged seasons of delays, pains and sorrow. Hope goes hand in hand with faith...hope is the fuel that compels us to keep going, keep believing, keep trusting, keep obeying. 

Hebrews 12 talks about a “cloud of witnesses"; full of faithful members from the previous chapter (and many more since added). These faithful ones lived and died without seeing the fulfillment of the Savior’s arrival. In my imagination, I think God allowed them to watch the birth of Jesus live, on the heavenly big-screen, as a reward for their enduring hope. What a wondrous, emotional, thrilling sight that must have been! 

Now we are in the church-era, two thousand millennia after the life the Jesus. But before he left earth to return to the Father’s side, Jesus gave another promise; He will come again. And when He comes back, He’ll take all who are His, out of this sin-stained world, to dwell with Jesus and his Father, forever. What an amazing promise! This is our great hope that is meant to sustain us and fuel our faith even in the midst of year after year, and decade after decade, of scars, hurts, griefs, and pains. 

Our hope today mirrors the hope of Abraham, King David, Esther, Daniel and many others...our hearts join the longings that call: come Savior! Come King Jesus! And in the midst of the waiting, we must be like those fire-following flowers, patiently waiting and enduring, as things around us get harder. 

While we wait, however, we can trust that we do not wait in vain. The hope of Jesus’ promise that sustains us is assured, rooted on the very character of God: He does not and cannot lie; the Father sent the Son (Jesus) to be the Savior of the world (I John 4:14), and He will keep this new promise to remove us, complete with his glorious return! Just wait. Just keep hoping. Just keep going, a day at a time. 

“Come, Thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee...Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King, born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom bring.” (Charles Wesley, 1744) 

Gracious Father, we thank you for Jesus, our Savior, who came as a Babe to be our Savior, and will come again soon, as a King. I pray that your Spirit will help me to feel the anticipation of Christ’s coming, as Christmas approaches. Help me to not get so distracted with plans; I want to know you and to look for you, each day. Help me in the waiting; at times, waiting is very hard and so I am grateful to have your Spirit with me. Thank you for keeping your promises. May you receive the glory, in me, in this season, and in glorious return of King Jesus. In His name we pray, Amen.

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(Optional) I have provided extra readings, for the week ahead, for those who are interested: Titus 2:11-15, Luke 19:10, Luke 2:10-11, I John 4:14, Revelations 17:14, Psalm 24:1-10