Hope - Advent 2025 (November 30th, 2025)

Devotional

Day 1: Hope emerges from honest lament and trust.

Psalm 13 models how waiting often begins with raw questions — “How long?” — giving permission to bring honest grief, anger, and fear before God rather than pretending everything is okay. The psalm then shows a deliberate turn toward God: naming the pain, asking to be seen, and choosing to trust God’s steadfast love even before circumstances change; that posture of honest prayer is the birthplace of Advent hope. [06:47]

Psalm 13 (ESV)

1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him," lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Reflection: What one honest “How long?” are you carrying today; will you write it down now and turn toward God in five minutes of prayer asking Him to look on you?

Day 2: The promised Messiah brings God's reign and peace.

Isaiah 9 points the waiting people to a future who will carry God’s rule and character—Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace—framing hope as rooted in God’s promised presence and authority. That promise reframes Advent waiting: it is not passive expectation but confidence that the promised King will bring justice, counsel, and shalom into broken places, so the present darkness is held within the story of God’s coming redemption. [03:27]

Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Reflection: Who in your life most needs the peace of Christ this week, and what one concrete act (a phone call, a handwritten note, a delivered meal) will you do before tonight to embody that peace?

Day 3: Remembering God's provision fuels present faith.

The memory of God’s past provision — whether the disciples’ sight of the feeding miracle or a personal moment of unexpected supply — becomes a stronghold in seasons of doubt and waiting. Recalling how God has provided in the past reshapes present expectations, helping one to offer what little is at hand to God and trust him to multiply and use it for good, even when answers are not yet visible. [15:28]

John 6:1-13 (ESV)

1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.
2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.
3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.
4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”
6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him,
9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place.
11 And those who sat down were about five thousand men. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted.
12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.”
13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.

Reflection: What specific resource do you have right now (time, a skill, a small gift, a meal) that you can offer to God today, and what will you actually do with it before tomorrow evening?

Day 4: Waiting on the Lord renews spiritual strength.

Isaiah 40 promises that those who place their hope in the Lord will find renewed strength—lifting them above weariness rather than promising an immediate end to struggle. Waiting is portrayed not as passive resignation but as a disciplined hope that reorients energy toward God, enabling endurance, renewed perspective, and the ability to keep moving forward even when the night feels long. [18:06]

Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)

31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Reflection: What single daily practice (five minutes of Scripture, a short prayer, a moment of silence) will you begin tomorrow morning to help you wait on the Lord and renew your strength for the coming week?

Day 5: God's love becomes flesh and answers waiting.

John 3:16 and the Advent story declare that God’s love did not remain distant but entered human waiting in the person of Jesus—Emmanuel, God with us—answering the “How long?” by stepping into our darkness. This truth grounds hope: even when waiting continues, the presence of God in Christ assures that waiting is not wasted because God has already moved toward us and will in his time make all things new. [24:14]

John 3:16 (ESV)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Reflection: Can you name a recent way God has shown his love to you; will you write that memory down now and share it with one person or use it as a prayer of thanks tonight?

Sermon Summary

I began by naming the gift of Advent hope—not a thin optimism, but a sturdy assurance rooted in God’s promises. Israel’s long waiting set the tone: Isaiah 9 promised a child who would lift governments and bring peace. We stand between Christ’s first coming and his return, and in that in-between we lean into God’s presence with hope: hope that light breaks into darkness, that God keeps his word, that our waiting is not wasted, and that the world’s brokenness won’t have the final say.

Psalm 13 helps us practice this kind of hope. It starts in the dark with honest lament—“How long, Lord?”—and gives us permission to stop pretending. Advent is honest about pain: diagnoses that don’t change, children who struggle, the weight of loneliness. Yet David doesn’t turn away; he turns toward God. That’s the Advent turn: we face the night and keep praying, keep reading, keep trusting. Waiting doesn’t mean God is absent; it often means God is preparing.

David’s ache to be seen by God matters. Like a child on stage scanning the room for a familiar face, we come alive when we know we are seen. And then, before anything changes, David anchors himself: “But I trust in your unfailing love.” Hope kindles when we lean on God’s character, not visible outcomes. I remembered the feeding of the 5,000 and a recent clinic in Guatemala where God provided more medicine than we imagined—moments that train our memory to expect God’s faithfulness again.

Hope grows as Scripture forms us over time. Like hotel nights that add up to elite status, daily time in God’s Word shapes us, again and again. That’s why we’ll return to Cover to Cover in January. Psalm 13 is a perfect Advent guide: it begins in darkness, moves through honest prayer, and ends rooted in God’s unfailing love. In Advent, that love takes on flesh. Jesus, Emmanuel, steps into our waiting, not from a distance but from a manger. Whatever your “how long,” your waiting is not wasted. The One who has come is the One who will come again—and in him, we place our hope.

Key Takeaways

1. Hope starts with telling the truth. Lament is not faithlessness; it is faith refusing to go silent. When we name what is broken, we refuse to be discipled by denial or fear. Truth-telling becomes the doorway through which real comfort and real change can enter. Advent invites this brave honesty. [09:30]
2. In the dark, turn toward God. Pain tempts us to self-reliance or withdrawal, but hope grows when we pivot toward God in prayer. That turn doesn’t erase the night; it reorients us within it. Facing God, we rediscover that waiting can be holy work, not wasted time. [11:14]
3. You are seen by God. Being unseen corrodes the soul, but Scripture insists God’s gaze finds us. Like a child who relaxes upon spotting a parent, we steady when we know God’s eyes are on us. Seen-ness doesn’t remove every fear, yet it restores courage to stand and sing. [12:36]
4. Trust unfailing love before answers. David rejoices before circumstances change, rooting hope in God’s character, not outcomes. Memory becomes a spiritual discipline: we rehearse God’s past provision to meet present uncertainty. This is how praise rises in the middle, not only at the end. [14:22]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:17] - Gratitude for the Worship Team
[02:48] - Advent Series: Hope, Peace, Joy, Love
[03:27] - Advent Hope: Deep, Not Thin
[04:58] - Everyday Waiting and Impatience
[06:03] - Psalm 13: Waiting with God
[07:57] - Honest Lament: “How Long, Lord?”
[10:32] - When We Feel Stuck
[11:14] - Turning Toward God in the Night
[12:36] - The Need to Be Seen
[14:22] - Trusting Unfailing Love Before Answers
[15:52] - Guatemala Story: Provision Overflowing
[17:31] - Biblical Hope and Renewed Strength
[22:00] - Formed by Scripture Over Time
[24:14] - Emmanuel: God With Us in Waiting
[25:43] - Closing Prayer and Advent Invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Psalm 13 — 1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4 and my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” and my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Observation Questions

Psalm 13 opens with repeated “How long?” complaints. Which four longings or complaints does David voice at the start of the psalm? [06:47]
In the psalm David moves from complaint to petition. What specific requests does he make of God in verses 3–4? [06:47]
The preacher emphasizes a turn toward God in the dark. What actions does David take in the psalm that model that turn? [11:14]
How does David describe the foundation of his hope in verses 5–6? What language in the psalm shows hope rising before circumstances change? [14:22]

Interpretation Questions

How does the preacher interpret the function of lament in Advent—does he treat laments as evidence of weak faith or as a faithful practice? What assumption about God undergirds that interpretation? [07:57]
The sermon says “waiting doesn’t mean God is absent; waiting means God is preparing.” What theological claim is being made about God’s presence during seasons of delay, and how does that claim fit with the movement of Psalm 13? [12:18]
The preacher uses the feeding of the 5,000 and a Guatemala clinic story as examples of memories that form future hope. How does he imply memory and past provision function as spiritual evidence for present trust? [16:54]
The sermon compares regular time in Scripture to accumulating hotel nights that change status. What does the preacher suggest Scripture does over time to a person’s faith and expectations? [22:00]

Application Questions

Identify one “How long?” situation in your life right now (a diagnosis, a relationship, financial strain, loneliness, etc.). What is one concrete thing you will do this week to bring that specific situation to God in honest prayer? (When will you pray, and what will you say?) [06:47]
When you feel stuck or tempted to withdraw, the preacher says to “turn toward God” instead of turning away. What is one practical step you will take the next time you feel that pull to go it alone? (For example: read Psalm 13, send a prayer text to a friend, call a pastor, set a five-minute prayer alarm.) Commit to the day/time you will try it. [11:14]
The sermon stresses the need to be seen by God and to reflect that seen-ness for others. Who in your life currently feels unseen? What specific action will you take this week to help them feel seen (a visit, a phone call, a handwritten note)? [12:36]
The preacher encourages rehearsing God’s past goodness to kindle hope. Name one concrete memory of God’s provision from your life. How will you record or rehearse that memory this week so it becomes an accessible encouragement when doubts rise? (Options: write it down, tell someone, place a physical reminder where you will see it.) [16:54]
The sermon invites formed, repeated reading of Scripture (Cover to Cover, daily reading). Will you read Psalm 13 each day this week or commit to a short daily Scripture habit? If so, what time of day will you read, and what will you do if you miss a day so the habit can stick? [22:33]
David trusts “your steadfast/unfailing love” before an answer comes. What is one tangible practice you can use this week to “trust God’s character before answers” (examples: a brief morning praise, a five-line gratitude journal entry each night, singing a hymn when anxious)? Choose one practice and try it for three days. [14:22]

Sermon Clips

``So we begin Advent with hope. Not a thin, wishful kind of optimism, but a deep assurance rooted in God's promises. In biblical times before the birth of Jesus, Israel waited for Messiah, who would bring freedom, justice, and restoration. Their hope was born in hardship and held through generations of longing. Advent invites us into that same posture of hope, of holy expectation. Knowing the full story, which we do, we are able to look back and remember that Christ has come, and we also look forward, trusting that Christ will come again. And in the middle of those two places, right here and right now, we lean into God's presence and promises with hope. [00:03:02] (73 seconds) #AdventHopeRooted

Hope that the light will break into the darkness. Hope that God keeps his word. Hope that our waiting is not wasted. Hope that the world's brokenness will not have the final word. Advent hope is a solid ground for weary hearts, reminding us that God is always, already at work. Often quietly, often slowly, but always faithfully. Advent is a time of waiting, and as our candle lighters reminded us this morning, waiting for the arrival of the one who brings light into the darkness. In life, there are many places that we wait, so we have had plenty of practice for Advent. [00:04:14] (50 seconds) #LightBreaksDarkness

Psalm 13 gives us permission to pray honestly and to lift up those concerns or hurts or pain that we feel and lift it up to God. Dr. David Taylor, in his book, Open and Unafraid, says the psalms enable us to bring into our conversation with God feelings and thoughts most of us think we need to get rid of before God will be interested in hearing from us. But the reality is that we don't need to rid ourselves from these thoughts, but just be honest about them, to be truthful. This season of Advent gives us space to lament and to name what is broken while we wait for the arrival of the hope of the world. [00:09:00] (51 seconds) #LamentAndHonesty

He turns towards God, not away. Advent is like that turn. It's the moment when we face the darkness, but choose to look forward with anticipation to the one who breaks into it. We keep praying, even when we don't feel heard. We keep reading God's word, even when we feel stuck. We keep trusting, even when the night is long. David fears that his enemy will triumph, that the darkness will win. And in the same way, Israel feared for centuries as they waited for the Messiah. In that same spirit, Advent tells us, even when it feels like nothing is happening, God is at work. [00:11:25] (50 seconds) #TurnTowardGod

Waiting doesn't mean God is absent. Waiting means God is preparing. What David wants is to be seen. He says, look at me. Look at me, I'm over here. He wants to be seen by God. Not being seen by God is killing him. Feeling alone or invisible to God is excruciating. There's something to be said for being seen. If you've ever been to a school performance where the kids come up on the stage and stand up and sing songs at Christmas or perform a play, when they get up in front and they're standing there waiting before the song starts, what are they doing? [00:12:15] (47 seconds) #SeenByGod

In verse 5 and 6, we discover hope that rises before the answer ever comes. The psalm does something surprising as David says, But I trust in your unfailing love. My heart rejoices in your salvation. He says this before anything has ever changed. The lament that he had at the beginning, those first how long, how long, how long, how long. Those have not gone away. Those are still very much present. But he remembers that he trusts in God's unfailing love. There's no proof yet. There's not even a visible answer. But he has God's character to lean into. Your unfailing love. And that is enough to kindle hope. [00:13:45] (63 seconds) #TrustUnfailingLove

This is like Advent hope. Israel waited hundreds of years for the promised Messiah. There weren't daily signs or angels, angel choirs or bright shining stars around every single corner. But the memory of God's promise sustained them. And hope did not die. Because biblical hope is not optimism, it's not weak hope, it's confidence in God's unfailing love. Even when we cannot see the outcome, it is that confidence that we hear in the words of Isaiah 40. But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. [00:17:24] (49 seconds) #HopeThatRenews

David, here in Psalm 13, has his hope in the Lord. He ends the Psalm with these words. I will sing the Lord's praise, for he has been good to me. I will sing the Lord's praise, for he has been good to me. Again, the how long, O Lords? Those have not gone away. But what he has replaced those with is the recognition of how God has been present. How God has answered prayers that he has lifted up before. And that God ultimately is the one who he needs to place his faith and hope and trust in. [00:18:14] (44 seconds) #SingGodsPraise

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What distinguishes biblical hope from mere optimism?

Why is honest lament essential to Christian hope?

How should we practice hope during prolonged waiting?