Our hope is in God.
At the tail end of 2019, I got myself a planner and started writing my goals for the year ahead. While doing it, I felt really hopeful and happy but it also kind of made me feel anxious. I was imagining a better world and a more confident self. I wanted to be in a totally different place from where I was currently sitting and who I was at the time. I knew that it was going to take a lot of work, and probably a lot of miracles along the way.
But 2020 proved itself to be a year of surrender. With the ongoing pandemic and the ever-shifting emotional climate, this year made us realise how little control we really have over the course of the year, let alone the course of our lives. Everything we have is granted for a moment, and in any point in time, it can all be taken away. We look at 2020 and we are continuously bewildered at how things can tumble for the worst.
Where is God in all this? I believe that He is here, walking in our midst, presenting us with new opportunities and challenges. The Bible says that God’s love for us renews with every morning:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
His mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning;
Great is your faithfulness.- Lamentations 3:22–23
Amidst our unpredictable environment, God is the constant presence we can count on. He is the Good Shepherd who calls and protects His sheep. He goes out of his way to find the lost. Under His supervision and protection, we can rest. There is no need to be in control where surrender is possible to God.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.- Psalm 23:1–4
Since we believe in the faithfulness and protection of our God, we don’t live in fear even in the most challenging times. We walk by faith. In light of grace, we proceed.
Our reward is not far off in some unreachable distant place. God knows how forgetful and afraid we can be, so He meets us where we are. This is why we celebrate Advent. In our darkest moments, we turn to Jesus Christ who was born in a lowly manger to show us that God has come. He is Emmanuel, the God with us.
We do not pray to a God is oblivious and indifferent to our experience and weakness. We pray to a God who walks with us, One who understands our humanity. He comes to us through His Holy Spirit — the Advocate — who meets us daily in our homes, in our jobs, in our families, and in our solitude. With each morning, His mercy and His love renews. 2020 is almost over, but our hope is not lost. For our hope is in God.
We wait in hope for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.- Psalm 33:20–22
