Advent, Week 1: HOPE
“The people who walk in darkness
will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
a light will shine … For a Child is born to us,
a Son is given to us.
The government will rest on His shoulders.
And He will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His government and its peace
will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of His ancestor David
for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!” ~ Isaiah 9:2, 6-7, NLT
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend [overcome] it.” ~ John 1:4-5, NKJV
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” ~ Romans 15:13, NLT
You are the God of Hope, Lord
Father, You are God of all things, Ruler over heaven and earth. Your love astounds me. Your hope sustains and strengthens me.
Fix my eyes on You during this crazy busy time filled with distractions that lead us away from You. You have made me righteous before You. You have called me daughter … all because of Jesus, whom we celebrate.
Therefore I have hope.
I can face my difficult places with confident expectation and solid certainty that You hear me when I pray, that You see me when I struggle, and You respond, drawing near to comfort and console me.
You are the God of hope … and I belong to You. Fill me, Lord. Remind me that Your hope sustains and strengthens me in the difficult places, in the broken places … in the impossible places.
Oh, that I might abound in hope!
May I never lose sight of Your faithfulness. May I never cease to remember the beautiful ways You have cared for me over the years.
Remembering fortifies faith.
Faith fortifies hope.
Your Hope Sustains and Strengthens Me
And, once again, I am assured that Your hope sustains and strengthens me in all seasons of life. Always. Thank You for the hope I have in You. Even in the darkest moments, Your light permeates the shadows and my despair quickly transcends into hope.
In this, I am confident: You will never fail me, Lord, therefore I have hope.
In the Name of Jesus, I pray,
Amen ~ let it be so
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Please don’t carry your burdens alone. I would be honored to pray for you. You may contact me directly at nan@nanjones.com
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Do you know someone who is experiencing great sorrow this Christmas? Are they in a crisis of faith because the unthinkable has happened? You want to bless them with a gift, but in your heart, you know they really don’t want things. They want their heart to be healed. They want hope. They want to live again.
That’s why I wrote The Offering: How to Emerge from Shattered Faith. The Offering takes the reader by the hand and allows her to ask the hard questions with raw emotions, and then gently leads her back into the arms of the One who loves her.
It’s available on Amazon for $12.99, but if you would like a personalized, autographed copy, it is $20 (to cover shipping) OR if you are local and can meet me, I charge $15. You may contact me at nan@nanjones.com
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Thank you so much for stopping by. I would love for you to share what’s on your heart in the comments below. Scroll a little farther down and you’ll see where you can leave your comments. Together, we can find the nearness of God in our darkest moments.
Sweet blessings to you,
