Hope Is Here

Devotional

Day 1: Hope arrives: a child given, government on His shoulders.

Hope is here because the promise points to a child born and a Son given whose government rests on His shoulders, reminding believers that when earthly systems fail and leaders disappoint, the true authority and everlasting counsel belong to Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace who will establish justice and never-ending reign. [25:52]

Isaiah 9:6-7 (ESV)
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. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Reflection: Identify one area where you feel hopeless about leadership, systems, or the future; pray and write one sentence asking Jesus—who bears government—to change your posture today, then choose one practical step (a conversation, a vote, a small act of mercy) you will take this week to trust Him rather than try to fix everything in your own strength.

Day 2: Wait on the Lord; bind and seal His testimony.

Waiting with hope looks like binding the testimony and sealing the teaching among disciples—committing a promise to memory and refusing to shift hope onto people, positions, or temporary fixes, trusting across generations as Isaiah did that God’s word endures and that patient waiting is a faithful posture in seasons of instability. [22:42]

Isaiah 8:16 (ESV)
Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples.

Reflection: Choose one promise God has given you; today set aside 10 minutes to write it down and memorize Isaiah 8:16, then declare that you will “bind” that testimony by telling one trusted person and by naming one concrete way you will wait on the Lord this week (daily prayer time, Scripture reading, or a weekly accountability check-in).

Day 3: God draws near to the brokenhearted.

The presence of God is promised to the crushed in spirit—when grief, shame, or discouragement presses in, God’s nearness is the caring response, offering comfort that does not deny pain but meets it and begins to transform sorrow into hope and resilience as evidence that God is at work amid brokenness. [09:18]

Psalm 34:18 (ESV)
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Reflection: Who in your life is carrying a crushed spirit (including yourself)? Today, spend five minutes naming that person or your own pain to God in prayer, then send a brief message offering to pray with them or ask for prayer support—one concrete act of presence that invites God’s nearness into the situation this week.

Day 4: God's promises come amid human impossibility.

The evidence of a problem can actually be the doorway to God’s promise—like Sarah’s barrenness that set the stage for Isaac—so instead of despising the difficulty, recognize that God often answers in the midst of what looks impossible and uses the problem to reveal who He is and what He will do. [09:18]

Genesis 17:16 (ESV)
And I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.

Reflection: Name one situation in your life that currently feels impossible; write one sentence of belief about God’s promise for that situation, then take one tangible step this week that aligns with that promise (a phone call, an application, a reconciliation, or seeking wise counsel) as an act of hopeful obedience today.

Day 5: God's grace is sufficient in weakness.

Weakness and persistent struggles are not the end but the place where God’s power shows up—like Paul’s thorn that led to the promise “my grace is sufficient”—so embrace dependence, stop pretending to carry everything alone, and allow God’s strength to rest on you in the very places you feel most inadequate. [12:48]

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (ESV)
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Reflection: What “thorn” or weakness have you been trying to fix without God? Today, bring it to the Lord in five minutes of honest prayer asking for grace rather than immediate relief, then choose one small, practical step this week (rest, ask for help, join a support group, or confess to a trusted friend) that acknowledges your reliance on His strength.

Sermon Summary

On this first Sunday of Advent, I lifted up Isaiah 9:6–7 and named the simple, stubborn truth: hope is here. Hope is not vague positivity; it’s an expectant desire anchored in trust. If there is no trust, there can be no hope. And when hope is anchored in the character of God—the One who can do all things—then even in bleak seasons we can expect breakthrough, open doors, and miracles that defy logic. Hope, I said, stirs the batter of faith; it’s one of faith’s essential ingredients. When the map “ain’t mathing,” hope keeps mixing, and faith rises.

We stepped into Isaiah’s context—evil leadership, a fearful people, and a king (Ahaz) who chose alliances and strategies over the word of the Lord. That choice is not just ancient history; it’s what we are tempted to do when suffering stretches long and Monday feels worse than Sunday promised. The pattern of Scripture is consistent: God’s promises are responses to human problems. From Sarah’s barrenness to Israel’s slavery, from Joshua’s fear to David’s uncertainty, from Jeremiah’s exile to Paul’s thorn—problem becomes the place where promise is born. That reframes our lives: the problem we hate often positions us to see who God is.

I named our present landscape—economic strain, political fatigue, social unrest, shrinking job markets, spiraling costs—and called us to relocate our trust. Strength doesn’t come from news cycles, conspiracies, or human systems. Strength comes from the Lord. Worship, prayer, and obedience reconnect us to the Source, so we don’t show up at work, home, or church in our own strength. That’s why I press my way into God’s presence—where bitterness drains and courage returns.

And Advent teaches us how to wait. Not passively, not anxiously, but with focused expectation: “Unto us a child is born.” The government is on His shoulders—every branch, every border, every decision. He is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His increase has no end. So we wait, we work, and we witness with hope, because the Promiser is faithful, and His reign will outlast every headline.

Key Takeaways

1. Hope is the engine of faith Hope is expectancy tethered to God’s character, not to our preferred outcomes. When hope holds fast to who God is, faith has something to stand on when circumstances shake. Without hope, faith starves; with hope, faith rises and perseveres. Let hope keep the fire hot when logic grows cold. [02:44]
2. Promises are birthed through problems In Scripture, promise consistently arrives in the middle of pain, not after it. Our instinct is to escape the problem; God often uses it as the delivery room for His purposes. The wound you carry often clarifies the promise He intends to reveal. Don’t despise the place where God plans to show Himself. [09:18]
3. Refuse cynicism; practice courageous trust Cynicism masquerades as wisdom but slowly poisons hope and opens the door to conspiracies and fear. Trusting God may make you stand out—and even be resisted by those who prefer despair—but it keeps your imagination tethered to truth. Choose to speak promise in problem-saturated rooms. That is not denial; it is allegiance. [15:53]
4. Draw strength from God, not systems Systems fail, trends shift, and leaders falter; God remains. Communion with Him—through worship, prayer, and obedience—restores strength to forgive, endure, and love well. Don’t attempt today’s assignments in yesterday’s strength; receive fresh grace. Live on borrowed power that never runs dry. [19:27]
5. Wait with Christ-centered expectation Advent waiting is active—anchored in the Child who carries the government on His shoulders. His unending increase means hope is not seasonal; it’s sovereign. Waiting looks like trust, justice, prayer, and courage under pressure. Keep your eyes on the King whose peace outlasts every storm. [25:52]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:20] - Advent reading: Isaiah 9:6–7
[01:15] - Defining hope as trust
[02:44] - Hope as ingredient of faith
[05:55] - Suffering makes hope hard
[07:30] - Ahaz’s alliance and misplaced trust
[09:18] - Promises arrive through problems
[12:48] - Problems position us for promise
[15:53] - Pessimism, conspiracies, and dependence on God
[17:40] - Reject counterfeit counsel; seek the Lord
[19:27] - Trust God amid earthly turmoil
[21:10] - Renewed strength in worship and prayer
[22:42] - Grace in weakness and perseverance
[25:52] - Unto us a Child is given
[27:00] - Praise: Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Isaiah 9:6–7 — 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. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Observation Questions

What four names/titles does Isaiah give the Child in these verses, and what practical hope might each title offer a person in the middle of trouble? (scripture question)
The pastor said hope is “one of the main ingredients in something called faith” and that hope lets faith rise when the map “ain’t mathing.” How does that image change the way you think about hoping when circumstances look impossible? [02:44]
List the biblical examples the sermon named where a promise arrived inside a problem (Sarah, Israel in Egypt, Joshua, David, Jeremiah, Paul, etc.). Which of those stories feels most like your current situation and why? [09:18]
What did the pastor point to in the story of King Ahaz as the wrong response to national crisis? How did that response affect the people? [05:55]

Interpretation Questions

How should one interpret “the government shall be upon his shoulder” in a time of political fatigue and social unrest? What does this promise require the believer to trust about God’s rule? [25:52]
The sermon claims “God’s promises are often a response to human problems.” How should a Christian today make sense of prolonged suffering: as discipline, testing, preparation for promise, or something else? What indicators would help someone discern which it is? [09:18]
If hope is an ingredient of faith, what practical difference does that make in how a person prays, decides, or takes steps forward when unsure? [02:44]
The pastor warned that cynicism leads people into conspiracies and poisoned imagination. How should a believer evaluate information or fearful narratives without becoming naive, yet also resist despair? [15:53]

Application Questions

Identify one pressing problem in your life right now (job, health, relationship, grief, finances). How might that problem be positioning you for a promise from God? What is one concrete step you will take this week to look for God’s promise in that situation? [12:48]
Where have you been relying on systems, people, or news instead of God? Name one upcoming decision (this week) where you will intentionally seek God’s counsel first. What will you do differently? (call a prayer partner, fast, wait 24 hours before deciding, read Scripture first, etc.) [19:27]
Think of one person or one circle that pulls conversations toward doom, gossip, or conspiratorial thinking. This week, what is one specific, truthful promise from Scripture or your story you will bring into that conversation? Plan the words you’ll say. [15:53]
The pastor described strength being renewed through worship, prayer, and obedience. Choose one of those (worship, prayer, or obedience). What exact practice will you schedule this week (day, time, length) to draw strength from God? [22:42]
Advent is described as active waiting. For this Advent week: name one act of justice or service you will do, one prayer focus you will keep, and one person you will intentionally witness hope to. Be specific (who, when, how). [25:52]
Is there someone you are holding bitterness toward or a small daily resentment that saps your hope? What specific first step will you take this week toward forgiveness or reconciliation (a text, a call, a prayer, meeting, asking for counsel)? [19:27]
Share a short story with the group (or prepare to share next meeting) of a time when hope stirred faith in your life. If you can’t think of one, ask the group to pray for you to receive hope and identify one small faith step you will take this week because you hope. [02:44]

Sermon Clips

I'm hopeful that tomorrow will be better not because of what's on the news but because of who God is. When you have hope you are optimistic about what the outcome is going to be. Hope gives an expectation of a breakthrough in the face of devastation. Hope says I'm expecting better things in the midst of bad things. Hope is expecting doors to be open for you while others are being closed and shut right in front of your face. [00:02:33] (36 seconds) #HopeForTomorrow

Hope expects miracles when logic says there is no way. Hope is one—it is one of the main ingredients in something called faith. Why do you say that, pastor? Because faith is the substance of things. Without any hope you don't have what you need to make faith work. But when you've got enough hope you can stir it together and out comes faith. When you have enough hope you can put hope in the oven and it will cook up some faith in your life. [00:03:10] (37 seconds) #HopeBreedsFaith

The word had come to him through Isaiah telling him that God's got it, that God's got you, that God's going to handle your problem. But when you don't have enough hope and that hope does not turn into faith then you will not believe that God will do what God says he will do and you will begin to try and put it in your own hands and do it in your own way and you get your own results. [00:08:01] (31 seconds) #TurnHopeIntoFaith

Here's the truth about God and I don't like it but it's the truth. Are you ready for this hard truth? God's promises are often a response to human problems which means in order to get to a promise you got to go through a problem. The promise without a problem because the problem makes me question my walk, question my faith, it makes it difficult but God's promise is always a divine intervention into a human problem. [00:08:37] (44 seconds) #PromisesThroughProblems

``Grief is a problem but peace is my promise. Food is a problem but provision is my promise. Sickness is my problem but healing is my promise. I'm sorry if I'm stepping on your problem toes but I want to elevate your promise because joy is my promise because of the sorrow in my heart which means watch this your problem is actually what has positioned you for your promise. [00:12:20] (38 seconds) #ProblemsToPromises

When you understand what hope does you will begin to praise God for your problems because you realize that he works all things for the good of those who love him. In other words, my problem is that I need to embrace my problem and know that God is still the promiser. I like the way Tony Robbins put it, he says problems are the gifts that make us dig out and figure out who we are, what we're made for and what we're responsible to give back to life. [00:14:09] (37 seconds) #ThankfulForTrials

When you realize that hope is here you are able to see that your problems are actually a gift because God's promises are birthed through human problems. They are forcing us to dig deeper in our faith, dig deeper in our walk, dig deeper in the word, dig deeper in our hope. When you approach your problems without any hope your problems begin to consume you instead of growing you because you begin to believe that you will never overcome or make it through your problem. [00:14:47] (32 seconds) #ProblemsAreGifts

Other people's behaviors and lack of Christ-like character can discourage you from building God's kingdom but your trust cannot be in man, cannot be in woman, cannot be in corporation, cannot be in government. It must be in the one who sits on the throne who has all power in his hands and whose reign shall never ever end. [00:16:00] (27 seconds) #TrustGodNotMan

When your hope is not in God you will open up your spirit to wayward thinking. Here it is, I'm almost done. When earthly kingdoms have problems we must place all of our trust in God. Food is expensive, the job market is shrinking, AI is growing, health care premiums are doubling and tripling, civil unrest, unjust treatment of undocumented peoples while also those who have committed their lives to serve the country to serve the country of being murdered on the streets, miseducation in the schools, cowardly behavior in congress, growing tension in Venezuela, homelessness, addiction and mental health crisis, the list goes on and on. There is trouble in the kingdom. [00:19:34] (57 seconds) #TrustGodInTrouble

There are times when I look back over my life where if I'm honest I don't know how I got through it. I was ready to throw in the towel, I was ready to give up, I was ready to make a bad allegiance but God stepped in in the nick of time and gave me what I needed to keep on keeping on and keep on pressing on and keep on moving on. God gave me the hope I needed in my hopeless moment. [00:22:50] (23 seconds) #HopeInHopelessMoments

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