This time of year is full of wonder and mystery. No matter where you turn, you sense it is slightly more hopeful. Many songs and stories reflect the joyous anticipation of this magical night. A night where we go to sleep only to discover that everything we had hoped for is brought into existence. Whether you were dreaming of sugar plums, a doll that blinks, or a whip that cracks, we all can remember when there was the perfect gift, and you couldn’t wait to unwrap it.
Millions of children will wake up to their greatest expectations on Christmas morning this week. They have been dropping hints about what they desire most if not outright requests.
Nothing is more foundational to a Christian life than having and maintaining faith. Biblically speaking, many writers refer to Christian discipleship as “the faith.”
(1 Corinthians 16:13, 2 Corinthians 13:5, Ephesians 4:13, Philippians 1:25). We also don’t often put faith into words. Hebrews 11:6 states, “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
This profound statement demonstrates that faith is not only mental assent but also a desire to draw near to God. Simplistically put, faith is acceptance and participation in a reality that is not fully revealed. Biblical hope is built on faith. Hope is the expectation and anticipation that you will fully experience that reality. We know that God is faithful and will accomplish all that He desires, and we eagerly await the fulfillment of His promises.
Paul frames the relationship of faith and hope well in Romans chapter 5.
Romans 5:1-5 – “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Faith justifies and secures us; hope results from knowing you are justified and secure. Hope, as a powerful force, allows Christians to endure and rejoice even in the face of suffering based on their acceptance and participation in the reality espoused by their faith. Christmas presents best demonstrate it.
My children have faith that I am a good dad. (Even evil parents know how to give good gifts (Matthew 7:11). Some of that faith is because they have observed my nature, and some trust is built over time. They have made specific requests because they trusted in me and know that a good dad would honor those requests. And so, they can eagerly await Christmas morning.
We, too, are able to hope, not because we are blind to the problems of this world. But we know that God is faithful and trustworthy in keeping His promises. It is because I understand that true reality is built upon God. Therefore, each of us can walk through life with confidence that we are assured of all that God said He would do. And so, like a child on Christmas, I can walk through life confident that one day I will participate in my hope realized.