A Christmas to Remember: A 10-Day DevotionalExemplo

Jesus is Our Hope

Isaiah 35:5-10

What Is Hope?

What do you hope for? What do you place your hope in? As Christians, Jesus is our Hope, and in the advent season we celebrate Hope coming among us. This section of Isaiah describes how Hope will manifest itself when He comes.

Jesus alludes to these verses when the disciples of John come to ask Him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" (Luke 7:20). In Christ’s response, He presents the convincing evidence from Isaiah 35 that He is the Messiah.

Barrenness Before Hope

Before these verses of hope, Isaiah contrasts what God brings with the barrenness of the unfaithful in Isaiah 34. The way of the world is destruction, leaving people and places wounded and broken. The imagery is stark: soil of sulfur, streams of pitch, and burning land from generation to generation lying in waste. The wild animals shall overtake the land, adding to the sense of desolation.

Jesus Is Our Hope

The Messiah brings something completely different - healing, seeing and being seen, hearing and being heard, the lame walk. The burning sand becomes pools, the thirsty ground becomes springs of water, echoing God's provision for the Israelites in the desert. We see the same in our own lives and in our own hope. Places and circumstances that brought hurting and shame are redeemed into a testimony that glorifies God!

The Way of Hope

Not only are things restored, but the Messiah brings us the Way. Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Isaiah 35:8-10 describes the Way provided for His people, a Way that is safe. We certainly know this worldly life is not physically safe for His believers, as nearly all of Jesus' disciples were martyred. Jesus reminded us not to fear those who can kill the body, but be concerned with the One who can destroy the body and the soul. While our physical safety will not be a priority in our bodies of flesh, we walk in complete confidence of the Lord's protection and salvation, knowing that whatever circumstances we face or difficulties surround us, God walks with us. That is Hope.

In a Christmas to remember, let us reflect on the promises fulfilled in Christ and the Way the Lord provides for those who are His, under His protection and to His glory. That changes how we live our day-to-day lives. He is our Hope.

What Now?

Where is your hope found? Is it in your bank account, your job, your marriage or relationships, or health? All these are temporary and can vanish in the blink of an eye. Only Christ offers true and lasting Hope that will endure longer than the ground we stand on.