During the past two weeks of Advent, we covered the peace and love that we can experience in this world. But what about hope? Is it something only to be experienced in the future? Or can we experience it even today? In this third week of Advent, here is a devotion on hope for today:

IN WORD Hope against hope. That’s how Paul described the faith of Abraham, and by that faith, Abraham received God’s promises. But he didn’t see them with total clarity. Abraham had been promised a multitude of descendants, even while he was childless. As each year passed, the promise seemed more unlikely. Abraham questioned it at times, and he even tried to work it out in his own way (Genesis 16).
But God had not promised Abraham descendants based on Abraham’s own efforts. God promised according to His plan and His work. There’s a huge difference. That’s the way it is with God’s promises in our lives too. We are given many in His Word: eternal life, an inheritance with Jesus, answers to our prayers, fulfillment of our deepest desires, a godly character, fruitful work, and more.
When years elapse between the promise and the fulfillment, we have questions. And like Abraham, we often try to work things out on our own. We forget the principle of hope against hope. The death and resurrection of Jesus should be the final nail in the coffin of our doubts, but we often let the resurrection of our doubts loom larger than the resurrection of our Savior.
The promises of God seem so far off that we despair, wondering if we’ve somehow misinterpreted them. We forget the truth of Hebrews 11:1, that faith is the assurance of things hoped for but not yet seen. We think if we haven’t seen the promises fulfilled, they might not be true. Faith says otherwise. IN DEED The life of faith—the pattern of relating to God from the beginning of time, but especially in the new creation—depends on seeing things that aren’t seen. Faith is substance, our hope made real, the future promises made present. Our faith wages epic battles against our sight, and we must always let faith win. The principle that God honors is hope against hope, as long as it’s based on His Word. Abraham was blessed by that principle; we will be too. “Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe.” —Augustine (in “God With Us” by Chris Tiegreen)

Today, we have a much better understanding of time. In the past, we saw time as linear, from past to future, with the understanding that the future has yet to happen. But if you have been keeping up with theories in physics – or just watched movies – you know that time is now considered spatial. For example, in the movie “Interstellar,” Matt Damon’s character moves through time just as one can move across a room.
When we understand time in this manner, we realize what is the meaning of “Jesus Christ – yesterday, today, and forever.” We understand how the prophets could be given a glimpse of the future. And we can understand “Hope against hope.”
Though human beings are linear beings, God is not. He has already been to the future and has prepared a wonderful place called heaven for us. He knows our every step to get there and walks with us daily to ensure we will get there. As long as we remain in His will, the future is as secure as the past – because God has already been here.
The birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecies because God had already walked the entire length of time to Jesus’ birth. As such, we can also be assured that Jesus’ Return is as real as today and the past are to us.
Are you living in hope? Take time to reflect on the book of Zechariah this week. Zechariah had the opportunity to travel through time to Jesus’ birth and His Return. Let his visions prepare you to celebrate Christmas – and to remember that Advent also prepares us for Jesus’ Return. Have a blessed week! - from Singapore, Pastor Sam