Hey Y'all! I thought for my first official post/devotional I would start with talking about the holidays because they are just around the corner. A lot of people feel like this year will never end. I know I do. I can truthfully say that this year has not been one of my brightest, but I have learned to trust God so much over this time. We started off the year with high hopes that it would be better than the last one with resolutions galore and a goal for a fresh start. In the spring we were hit with the Corona virus and we hoped that it would only last a few weeks until those weeks turned into months, and here we are at the end of the year still dealing with the sickness. Next up on the list was the civil unrest with the nationwide rioting. And finally the election which will indeed prove to be one of the most pivotal events in American history.
As Christmas and the New Year approaches I am sure many of you are excited for that fresh start once again with high hopes of change and new goals for the year. But some of you are anxious as to what comes next. How do we move on from here? How do we continue to combat this virus? Will it get better or worse? Many others have a number of other concerns from political to personal.
Maybe Christmas and the holiday season will prove to be a good refreshing breath of air or maybe it won't for some of you. Fortunately, I have some wonderful news about the holiday season that I think everyone can get behind. I want to talk about Hope. Some might be wondering how we can have hope in such a time as this, and I would have to agree with you that looking back on this year things seemed to be hopeless. I will be honest at the beginning of the year I had a small breakdown myself about how hopeless I felt in the moment, but there was only one person who could get me through. I want to share a little bit about that person with you in this post, but first let's look at the definition of Hope.
Hope
The word "Hope" is one of those generalized words that many people use on a regular basis. For example many people "hope" they are not late for work. But do we really or is that just another cliché expression that we use? According to the Webster's Dictionary there are three definitions for the word "hope" and they are as follows:
1. To cherish a desire with anticipation : to want something to happen or be true.
2. To desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment
3. To expect with confidence
Based on the definitions above we will take a look into hope and how we can obtain it in times of trouble. Let's take a trip back in time to the year Jesus was born. The king of the time was Herod the Great of Judea and the Roman empire. Some information on Herod. He was a little psychotic because he killed a number of his family members in the name of power. The Romans were tyrants and sought power, but overall Herod as their leader did not help things. They were very corrupt towards God's people (the Jews) and during that time a lot of people felt hopeless.
The Jews had been waiting many years for a messiah to come and save them from Roman rule. They expected a King to come in with many armies and riches to conquer the Roman leaders and take back the kingdom of God. But that is not what happened. Let's take a look at two people who had been waiting for the true messiah for a very long while despite the hopelessness of the times.
Luke 2: 25-38
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant[a] depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.[b] She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Simeon and Anna
As stated above in the text both Simeon and Anna were always at the temple. It was custom that Jews brought their children to be blessed and for the parents to sacrifice to the Lord for the birth of a child. When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple they were met by both Simeon and Anna. Simeon even got to be the one who blessed Jesus. Based on the context of the passage we can see that both Simeon and Anna were old and had been waiting for a long time to see the messiah. In fact Simeon said that he could now die in peace because he had seen the messiah. So, we know that they had been waiting a long time for this moment. Therefore, despite the difficult times they were facing they had hope for so many years that God would send the messiah just like he said, and they were willing to hope for that promise no matter how long it took to transpire.
The Hope of Simeon and Anna
Reflecting back on the definition of the word "hope" it is stated as follows:
1. To cherish a desire with anticipation : to want something to happen or be true.
2. To desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment
3. To expect with confidence
This is how Simeon and Anna displayed each part of the definition of hope.
1. Simeon and Anna both cherished the desire for a savior by being devout to God in the temple. (v. 25 & 37)
2. Simeon and Anna desired with expectation of the fulfillment of the prophesy of a messiah and we can see their joy in that fulfillment of their hope in the passage above. (v. 29-32 & 38)
3. We can see that they expected with confidence that God would come through for them. If they had not been confident they would have not been as righteous and devout as the text explains. (v. 25 & 37)
How this Applies to Us
Unlike Simeon and Anna we are no longer waiting for a messiah. We already have him. He already came and lived and died and rose again for our salvation. But our hope is not dead because as Christians Christ lives in us. He promises to sustain our hope in times of trouble and he is sure to fulfill that promise. Hebrews 10:23 says, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;" So during this season of change and difficulty have hope because Christ was born, and as Christians he lives in us. So hold fast to that promise even when things feel hopeless.
If you are not a Christian and are seeking hope, Jesus can provide you with that in your life. All you have to do is confess you are a sinner and believe in him. Proclaim his love and mercy towards you and you can have that same hope that Simeon and Anna had. If you have any questions about becoming a Christian do not hesitate to contact me. You can contact me through the website or by calling or texting my number under the photographer info page.
Do not be fearful but be hopeful because God is in control of every situation and he is greater than hopelessness. So this Holiday season have hope because Christ is our ultimate hope provider.
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