We’ve been learning what waiting is all about. We know that when Jesus comes, everything changes. We know the best is yet to come, but what do we do as we wait for him? Is the thrill of hope even possible when we have a weary soul? Learn how to keep hope alive while confronting the most brutal facts of your current reality with this message of hope.
Trevor H. Lund is the founder of Live LIGHT Academy at https://livelight.ca and the Chief Storyteller at https://revtrev.com. Subscribe and set notifications on YouTube at https://revtrev.com/tv and visit https://revtrev.com/radio to subscribe to his podcast wherever you listen.
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O Holy Night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
Two thousand years ago, when the world seemed still and life was going on in it’s normal frustration, there was a flurry of activity in the heavenly realm. To us, it appeared that nothing would ever change. But soon heaven would burst into life right in front of our eyes.
That night, long ago, when most people were fast asleep, a group of shepherds were watching their sheep. They probably had a fire going, quietly chatting among themselves. There was not a sound but the soft night noises of sheep in the pasture. And in that quiet, hidden place a burst of light appeared and angels from heaven sang to shepherds. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace on whom his favour rests.”
Can you imagine yourself sitting there by the fire with the warm glow lighting your face, a soft blanket around your shoulders, a hot drink between your hands.
It might feel like nothing will ever change. It may feel like heaven is silent for you. It might feel that God has no interest in your life. It may feel that all around is darkness… nothing…. silence.
But God… God bursts heaven into our world and gives us the the thrill of hope.
God is always working behind the scenes for your good. His angels announced peace on those on whom his favour rests. That’s you! He is called wonderful, counsellor, almighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace. He is Immanuel, God with us.
Our God is God of the suddenlies. You can once again know the thrill of hope.
You can know that regardless of what your feelings say…
At the right moment heaven will burst into light with singing over your life. He rejoices over you with singing.
A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Do you have the thrill of hope? Does your weary soul rejoice?
You and I can have weary souls. We need real hope to keep us rejoicing.
The problem is hope deferred makes the heart sick.
Has your hope been disappointing you?
Let’s think of others players in this story. What about the wise men who traveled so far?
Can you imagine yourself walking under a star lit sky?
Can you see the the twinkling lights so vast in the darkness, as far as you can see?
The night sky can make us feel so insignificant, so lost.
One of my favourite Calvin and Hobbes comic strip has Calvin looking up into the night sky and yelling to the cosmos “I am significant!” followed two panes later with the thought…“screamed the speck of dust”
We can feel so insignificant, so lost.
But sometimes lost is OK.
Sometimes lost takes us places we would have never got to otherwise.
The magi might have felt lost… like they didn’t know where they were or where they were going.
But they knew they had to follow the star.
Sometimes we can be so determined not to get lost.
But this year we all find ourselves lost.
Our five year goals and life plans are out the window.
There has never been a better year to know…to really know… to live with the hope that will not disappoint.
We have been waiting. We have been floundering.
We have had the goal post moved again and again and again.
We thought there were answers. We’ve been disappointed.
We’ve been told to wait. We’ve been told be patient.
We’ve been told to wait more. We’ve been told to be more patience.
Hope can take us to places we could have never have imagined.
We might not even know what we’re looking for,
but we may find God himself in a way we didn’t expect.
We need to be like the wise men and follow our star.
What is the star for our weary soul?
It’s hope.
Real hope. It’s the the thrill of hope that allows the weary soul to rejoice.
Real hope comes with real faith and faith is our natural response to His revelation.
You can can have peace and joy and hope at all times an in every situation. It doesn’t come with sticking your head in the sand. It’s not guaranteed when it’s all rainbows and sunshine. It’s a walk of faith. The good news is God empowers us to accomplish every good work prompted by faith and our faith is our natural response to his revelation.
Let me give you a tool to help you hope when you have a weary soul.
The HOPE when it hurts tool
HOPE
H - Hold on to testimony
O - Operate in reality
P - Pour out your heart to God
E - Engage your whole heart with hope
Let’s unpack this...
H - Hold on to testimony
Revelation 12:11 And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.
What has God done for you in the past? What has he done for others? There is a power in story. Remember you own, engage with what others tell you. Testimony and journaling
Am I holding on to the testimony of what God has done?
O - Operate in reality
Hebrews 12:7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?
If you’re not feeling like you’ve been floundering, you either have the patience of Job or you’re ignoring the realities of today.
Advent waiting - Not “let go and let God” but “trust God and get going”
Stockdale paradox
“This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”
Am I confronting the most brutal facts of my current reality?
P - Pour out your heart to God
Philippians 4:6-7 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Psalms of lament allow us to pour out our complaint to God. Don’t worry that you’ll offend God with the truth of your emotion. He knows better than you what you feel like.
Your feelings might not make proper theological sense, but they show you want you really believe.
Take your complaint to God. Exchange your problems for his peace. You exchange your problems for his peace with thanksgiving.
Am I making use of lament?
E - Engage your whole heart with hope
Isaiah 40:27-31 Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God’? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Decision - speak to your soul
Psalm 42:11 TPT So I say to my soul, “Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be disturbed. For I know my God will break through for me.” Then I’ll have plenty of reasons to praise him all over again. Yes, he is my saving grace!
Instead of saying “Why me?” learn to ask Holy Spirit “What do you want me to learn?”
Action - do what helps with hope
Proverbs 3:5 NLT Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Rest - Mark 48:3 Jesus took naps. Be like Jesus. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap.
Exercise - (joke) I wanted to go jogging but Proverbs 28:1 says “The wicked run when no one is chasing them” so there’s that…
Life giving relationship - Proverbs 12:25 Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.
Emotion - have peace rule in your heart
Colossians 3:15 NLT And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
Nothing is worth it if it costs you your peace.
Worry isn’t worth it if it costs you your peace.
Planning isn’t worth it if it costs you your peace.
Hoping isn’t worth it if it if it costs you your peace. Real hope will give you your peace not cost you your peace.
If you don’t have peace, Ask Holy Spirit what lie you are believing…Peace and Joy and Hope come from trusting God, so if you don’t have peace and joy and hope, it’s because your believing a lie more than you’re trusting God.
Use this statement to help you define what you’re feeling…
“It might not be true, but it feels like it’s true that…”
Do I hope with my whole heart?
Max Lucado describes hope this way:
“It is a zany, unpredictable dependence on a God who loves to surprise us out of our socks and be there in the flesh to see our reaction.” (Max Lucado, God Came Near page 89)
Can your weary soul rejoice again?
Yes! Don’t let it go another day for you. Embrace the hope of God taking on flesh and camping out for a while. GOD with us!
The thrill of hope can be yours again.
Remember the Hope when it Hurts Tool
HOPE
H - Hold on to testimony - Revelation 12:11
O - Operate in reality - Hebrews 12:7
P - Pour out your heart to God - Philippians 4:6-7
E - Engage your whole heart with hope - Isaiah 40:27-31
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Can I pray?
Next Steps
Check out the Live LIGHT with your Whole Heart Course
Move from giving your problems a place of too much influence to having no fear of bad news even when it comes. Learn to Live LIGHT with your Whole Heart. This training is a game-changer if you want to avoid cognitive avoidance, cognitive dissonance and toxic behaviour. Learn why and how you can live with your whole heart today! >>> https://revtrev.link/heart
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