December 2, 2025

FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT: HOPE

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”

(Jeremiah 29.11-12)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

Mighty ones of God, as we have considered these verses from Jeremiah, there has been a focus on the human aspect of hope and longing for the day of freedom and liberation. It is a longing unlike that of the world today who interpret “freedom and liberation” to mean an excuse, a tolerance and an entitlement to “do whatever I want to do.” For the exiles of Israel, both foreign and domestic, their freedom and liberation was from the ravages of sin which is deathly separation from the blessed presence of God and from the nations surrounding them in jealous and fearful rage because they were choosing God over the world. They hoped for a Messiah who would be a military/political/ spiritual leader (in that order, by the way). They ignored, sadly and by all broken human nature standards most expectedly, the words of the prophets who cried out that God was calling for repentance and transformation of the heart, mind and soul of the people. Where life went after getting the relationship right between God and them would be the blessing of true freedom they really expected.

But I encourage you to hear God’s hope in all of this just in these two verses. God declares that He has known us before we were even born. He has great plans and hopes for us because He loves us and has always loved us. He even anticipates that we will fall short, fall down, disappoint, make bad decisions and some really bad mistakes. He knows He will need to encourage us, sometimes discourage us and will engage us with opportunities for success that will change and transform the lives of others around us. He even knows He will have to make sacrifices for us including the greatest sacrifice of all. Jesus called Him “Abba, father.” Since we are supposed to be like Jesus that means we can call God the very same and expect the same joy, celebration and blessing that Jesus received. In the midst of all of that, however, God has hopes, too. He hopes we will recognize Him in the world around us at work for the benefit of others. He offers blessings that excite all our senses inviting us to seek the best out of life. He hopes we will call upon Him, seek Him where He can be found and pray to Him and with Him knowing He is listening. He hopes we will trust in the knowledge that He is listening and open our lives to Him ready to listen in return. He is the truest “parent” of all! We see this, as I said, in Jesus of Nazareth from His birth, throughout His life, to His death and through His resurrection. God doesn’t fail to keep Him in the covenant and promise of a blessed and eternal life. This is how we as parents should be, too, with our own children. This should our hope as well. What better gift to give our children, grandchildren and extended family and friends than the desire to fulfill such hope. It is the most godly thing we can do.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.