Advent Day 11

Psalm 147:11 - But the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him; in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Those who hope in God's steadfast love. That is what Christians hope in. What does it mean, though, in practical terms? How do we know when our hope has been fulfilled? What is God's steadfast love? Is it something we can experience only in the future? or can we experience it now? So many questions. ...

I suspect these questions will be answered differently by each one of us. In my own experience, recognizing God's love was life-transforming. Until then I was convinced I was doomed to hell for ... something. It took many people loving on me to recognize that I'm worthy of love; God's or anybody else's. I don't always feel worthy, but today I know that feelings are not facts. God's love does not depend on our feelings.

That means God loves people experiencing homelessness, hunger, danger, fear, oppression, poverty, anxiety. God even loves those people we cannot bring ourselves to love. Yes, even that one. As such, there is hope! Hope that people can change and often do - I did. Hope that justice might prevail. It won't prevail unless we work with God for justice, because I don't believe that God controls everything - we have free will. Yet, if we're quiet, we might hear God whisper to us, we might hear God's guidance. Peace takes work and so does hope. In fact, action often is a source of hope.

This is a different kind of hope, though, from hoping in God's steadfast love. That hope is sure. We might not be able to see how God's promises are fulfilled, but God's love assures us they will be. God's promises will arrive and become reality - even if it doesn't happen in our lifetime. That is an important caveat. We ourselves may not see the justice we desire, just as not all the slaves were freed. It's important to remember that we must do the work anyway. How can we give hope to another today?

Lord, make me an instrument of your hope.