Hope in the Fulfilled Promise of Emmanuel

With Christmas around the corner, I’ve been thinking a lot about hope lately. This period of waiting for the day of Christmas is known as Advent. This period of waiting always brings a huge thrill of hope to my heart, especially when I remember that the birth of my Saviour is a fulfillment of so many prophecies; Advent represents the welcome, celebratory end to profound and long waiting for the First Coming of Jesus.

The first chapter of the Book of Matthew makes this clear, summarized this way:

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’)” Matthew 1:22-23.

Waiting as a Way of Faith

Let’s face it, as Christians committed to following Christ, we do a lot of waiting on God—waiting for Him to lead us, answer our prayers, move in the world and enact His sovereign will in our lives. Waiting can be painful.

Remembering that God’s chosen people waited thousands of years for the Messiah can give us an important perspective. The Messiah is now with us and living in us through the Holy Spirit.

This helps build endurance in the race we’ve been called to complete. Our Lord plays the long game.

Advent—the birth of Jesus—is to me a warm and loving reminder that God fulfills prophecy and keeps His promises. There is limitless hope in that truth.

For me, as a disabled woman, I find this hope deeply nourishing. Thankfully, my God is actively using my disability to draw me closer to Him and to teach me to abide in Him.

Advent is a beautiful and necessary reminder that faith in the Lord, and the willingness to wait for Him and trust Him, yields powerful rewards.

When the limitations of my physical disability frustrate me, I find peace in the knowledge that the same Maker of our universe who ordained that the Word would become flesh and dwell among us (John 1:14)—the same Maker who chose us before the creation of the world (1 Thessalonians 1:4)—is guarding, guiding, and supporting me and us.

He ensures that none of us are ever alone or forgotten.

A God Who Meets Us in the Mess

Advent proves this beautifully. Jesus was born into a world of trouble and had to escape to Egypt to evade Herod’s murderous pursuit of Him.

God thrives at showing His power, glory, and sovereignty in the midst of mess. Jesus was never without His Father’s love, just as we are never without it.

The joy and hope of Advent shine in that assurance. The Prince of Peace, born to save us, does not require already-perfect, light-filled scenarios.

He brought His own light when He came to Earth, and He brings it to our hearts now just as then, through the Holy Spirit.

There—right there—is the hope of Advent.