Hope | Advent Week 1
This devotional comes from our Advent 2025 booklet, In Quiet Expectation.
If you weren't able to pick up a copy, don't worry! We're sharing our devotionals here to help you reflect on the meaning of the season—the arrival of Jesus Christ, whose very birth began to minister to those who encountered Him.
Join us in celebrating Advent by lighting the first candle of Hope.
If you weren't able to pick up a copy, don't worry! We're sharing our devotionals here to help you reflect on the meaning of the season—the arrival of Jesus Christ, whose very birth began to minister to those who encountered Him.
Join us in celebrating Advent by lighting the first candle of Hope.
Read: Psalm 27
Biblical scholars may not know exactly what David was facing when he wrote this psalm, but it’s clear he was experiencing trouble. And yet, instead of letting fear take root, David lifted his eyes to the Lord, his stronghold. David’s posture is one of worship, patience, and hope as he declares, “Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (v. 14).
For many of us, waiting for the Lord is difficult. As time passes, our hearts can slip into despair, anger, and doubt as we question where God is.
Israel knew that kind of waiting well. Four hundred years stand between the end of the Old Testament and Jesus’ birth—a long silence that tested their faith. And when the One they had been waiting for—the Messiah—finally arrived, many didn’t recognize Him because He didn’t reflect what they had envisioned: a powerful, militaristic figure who would save them from their earthly oppressors.
But there’s also hope in this. Jesus did not come to address a mere moment in time, to make things right for the Israelites for a few decades or centuries. He came to bring His kingdom into the world, offering all people salvation and spiritual reunion with God. God’s plan surpassed every expectation. And it all started with a miraculous yet humble birth, in a stable in Bethlehem.
I invite you to start your Advent season remembering the hope that comes in waiting for the Lord. David wrote, “I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (v. 13). God’s timing may not align with our expectations, but His plans are always greater than what we could imagine.
For many of us, waiting for the Lord is difficult. As time passes, our hearts can slip into despair, anger, and doubt as we question where God is.
Israel knew that kind of waiting well. Four hundred years stand between the end of the Old Testament and Jesus’ birth—a long silence that tested their faith. And when the One they had been waiting for—the Messiah—finally arrived, many didn’t recognize Him because He didn’t reflect what they had envisioned: a powerful, militaristic figure who would save them from their earthly oppressors.
But there’s also hope in this. Jesus did not come to address a mere moment in time, to make things right for the Israelites for a few decades or centuries. He came to bring His kingdom into the world, offering all people salvation and spiritual reunion with God. God’s plan surpassed every expectation. And it all started with a miraculous yet humble birth, in a stable in Bethlehem.
I invite you to start your Advent season remembering the hope that comes in waiting for the Lord. David wrote, “I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (v. 13). God’s timing may not align with our expectations, but His plans are always greater than what we could imagine.
Written by
Abigail Celoria, Copywriter & Editor
Reflect:
In what ways might your expectations of how God should work be preventing you from seeing how He is working—and how might letting go of those expectations help you hope in the Lord?
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