Second Sunday in Advent: Hope

Sunday, December 8, 2019

The Wonder of What God Has Done Through His Son:

An Advent Devotional Guide

Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him, the God of my help and my salvation.  Psalm 43:5

Though language changes with need, and words become obsolete, I guess all of us know this good King James word and what it is to be “disquieted” in our souls. It’s that something that we cannot put a finger on to describe, that ache that we cannot rub, that something that makes us restless and maybe even a little sad. But the wonderful thing about God is that he is omnipresent, always there to allow us to put our hope in him. He can define the unsettled feeling within us; he can rub the untouchable ache, he can bring rest to the restless.

Paul says that Scripture is useful for “teaching, rebuking, correcting, training in righteousness, so that the [person] of God may be equipped for every good work.” (II Timothy 3:16) The reminder of the verse above is so encouraging, that when we are “cast down” or “disquieted,” we can turn to Scripture to change our perspective, to relieve our doubts, to bring us to the point of knowing that we can and will survive and praise God – whatever the circumstances!

We don’t put our hope in our ability, in our finances, in our family, even in our church. We put our hope in God, the only one worthy of that hope and trustworthy not to disappoint us.

Father, hope is so real, we almost can touch it. Thank you for such a tangible, sustainable hope that never disappoints us. Amen

The Wonder of What God Has Done Through His Son:

An Advent Devotional Guide
prepared for First United Methodist Church of Homosassa, Florida
Winter 2009
by Patience Nave, Christian Education Coordinator