“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.”

This line from “O Holy Night” has been resonating in my heart recently. Even in our weariness we can rejoice, for there is a hope beyond our wildest dreams to cling to.

During Advent, we prepare room in our hearts as we move toward Christmas. At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of our Savior – Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us.

But in the midst of all the preparation and celebration, we also hold tightly to hope because He’s not finished yet.

This is hope. Inspired by His faithfulness, we look forward to what He has promised He will do.

The future is bright. Better days are ahead. The best truly is yet to come. These aren’t clichés or trite sayings; these are bold statements infused with hope.

Hope is confidence in God over the clarity we crave. It’s trusting Him instead of certainty. It’s holding on to Him in prayerful expectation.

God is the source of our hope. Hope finds its beginning and end in Him. Our hope is strengthened through His Word.

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.” – Psalm 62:5–8

Our hope comes from God. It’s in the hidden things, the dark, the unseen. It can be hard to hope because we’re human and we long for mysteries to be solved. But hope is a patient and helpful guide, boldly pointing us back to our Heavenly Father.

We don’t hope for things we can see. Hope that’s seen isn’t actually hope; we don’t hope for something we already have (Romans 8:24).

Hope is a choice; we can choose to put our hope in God (1 Timothy 6:17).

Our strength is renewed when our hope is in Him (Isaiah 40:31).

God delights in us when we put our hope in His unfailing love (Psalm 147:11).

“And let us rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but let us rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” – Romans 5:2b-5

We rejoice in hope, in the hope of God’s glory, but we can also find joy in our seasons of suffering. When that snowball of suffering starts rolling, there’s an opportunity for perseverance, which can build our character, which results in unshakable hope.

Hope is forged in the fiery furnace, through perseverance, as our character is formed. We can rejoice that there is purpose in the pain as we hang on to hope.

“Joy is born from hope.” – Pastor James Cavalier, Rhythm Church

When we need joy, we can remember hope. Hope is most needed when the darkness overwhelms, when the trials pile up. But joy in hardship is birthed by our hope in Jesus. This is why we can “be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12). It won’t make sense to the world, but it will be a testimony of His goodness to those who are hurting.

“So we wait in expectation for the full, radiant, overwhelming light to one day wipe out all darkness forever. This is the hope of Advent.” – Tsh Oxenreider, Shadow & Light

Hope is all about waiting expectantly, trusting that God will pierce through our darkness with His glorious light.