Follow the Star Day 1

Follow the Star Devotional Day 1
Hope’s Long Journey
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word, I put my hope.” Psalm 130:5
Hope really isn’t a copout; is it? Hope isn’t a moment of instant gratification that makes us forget our misery or hunger. Hope is something more substantial than a pretty ring, new shoes, a few extra bucks or a lucky escape. Hope is a light and a true promise that we build our lives around and we wait for patiently because it offers something that we now only want but need in life.
Those temporary things are nice, don’t get me wrong. They, at times, restore our hope in humanity but I don’t know that hope can be temporary. I lead a recovery and healing group and I know that a little break from the judge isn’t the hope that will change a life. Real “hope” is life-changing, I think. It’s not a wish or a want, it’s a word, a work, a will that can change the life of those who receive it.
Now that’s a pretty big definition of “hope” and you may want to make it a little more accessible than that definition does. But I want a life that works, not a simple excuse for life or temporary escape from life. And I think we will wait for something that substantial. Won’t you?
I don’t like waiting in lines. In fact, I so dislike it that unless my wife tells me that I need to wait, I’m gone. That’s why I like living in rural America. We don’t wait in line to often. But I will wait for something that’s important or worthwhile. Advent is about waiting for something God is doing that is worthwhile. Hope brings light into our lives. It reveals a life that works and will work forever. Jesus is that light. That baby in a manger isn’t just a life in a stable but a life for the streets. Jesus life is a light to all mankind. God is here and is doing something great and for those who wait for Him, there is a promise that will change the lives of any one of us who not only believes that there is light but confesses the light for his/her life. The devotional told us to create space in our hearts to receive the light of the world. That sounds like good advice. What do you think?