Hope in the Middle: Remember Faithfulness, Look to Eternity

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus' coming breaks darkness with living hope.

When Jesus steps onto the scene, he brings light into places that felt abandoned and hopeless; for those living in the “middle” between promise and fulfillment, remembering that his arrival ushered in a kingdom means hope is not a vague wish but a present reality to live by. [01:46]

Matthew 4:12-17 (ESV)
Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned." From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Reflection: What "darkness" are you living in right now that needs Jesus' light? Name it in prayer tonight and ask one trusted friend to pray with you about it this week.

Day 2: Remember God's mercy to sustain hope in suffering.

When pain and disappointment press in, intentionally calling to mind God's steadfast love and daily mercies renews the soul; choosing to return your mind to his faithfulness is not denying hurt but anchoring hope in what God has already proven to be true. [18:29]

Lamentations 3:21-24 (ESV)
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."

Reflection: List three specific ways God has shown his faithfulness to you. Pray through that list tonight, thanking God for each item, and keep it somewhere visible for the next time discouragement strikes.

Day 3: Rehearse God's benefits to revive your soul.

Regularly reminding yourself of what God has done—who forgives, heals, redeems, crowns, and satisfies—turns memory into worship and fuels perseverance when present circumstances threaten to steal expectation. [14:38]

Psalm 103:1-5 (ESV)
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Reflection: Which one of Psalm 103's "benefits" do you most need to claim today? Speak that line aloud and write a short prayer asking God to make it real in the next 24 hours.

Day 4: Hope anchored in Christ's resurrection and eternal inheritance.

The resurrection gives believers a living hope and an imperishable inheritance kept in heaven, so even while life wears the body down, the soul is being guarded and sustained by God's power until final salvation arrives. [22:26]

1 Peter 1:3-5 (ESV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Reflection: Spend five minutes imagining your eternal inheritance—then write one current worry and one sentence describing how viewing it from eternity changes your next practical step today.

Day 5: Fix your eyes on the promised new heaven and earth.

Keeping gaze on the end—when God makes all things new and wipes away every tear—reframes present suffering as temporary and purposeful, giving courage to endure the middle because the story does not end here. [28:21]

Revelation 21:1-5 (ESV)
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new."

Reflection: This week, choose one short phrase from Revelation 21:1-5 (e.g., "no more death") to memorize; when anxiety or despair arises, repeat that phrase three times and notice how it reframes your response today.

Sermon Summary

Christmas declares that light has broken into darkness and that hope is not wishful thinking but a steady expectation of God’s good future. From Matthew 4, we see Jesus stepping into Galilee as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s promise—dawn rising on people who sat in the shadow of death. Many of us, like Israel in the “silent years,” feel the ache between promise and fulfillment. We lower expectations to avoid disappointment, not just at Christmas, but in life. Yet Scripture calls hope a posture: a desire anchored to the belief that God will do what He promised.

I named that tension “the middle.” Promise is thrilling; fulfillment is better; waiting can grind us down. But just as a smoker draws out flavors time alone can produce, there are depths of trust, courage, and intimacy that only form in the slow fire of discipleship. So how do we keep hope alive there? Two keys.

First, rehearse God’s past faithfulness. Scripture commands us again and again to remember. Jeremiah models honest lament—naming grief, confusion, and loss—yet he chooses to “call to mind” the unchanging mercy of God. Faithful remembrance doesn’t deny pain; it re-locates it in the larger story of a God whose compassions are new every morning.

Second, keep your eyes on the future. Matthew piles up fulfillments to say: if God completed every messianic promise in Christ, He will complete everything still unfinished. We fix our gaze not on the thin slice of the present, but on the eternal horizon. Our rope-and-duct-tape picture reminds us: our moment is small, eternity is vast. Peter calls it a living hope; Paul calls our afflictions “light and momentary” compared with the weight of glory. Revelation 21 gives the end we’re aiming for—God with us, tears wiped, death and pain no more. In that light, storms may come, but our hope is tethered to the risen King, not to markets, headlines, or our own strength. To live with hope in the middle, remember what He has done, and keep looking to where He’s taking us.

Key Takeaways

1. Hope thrives between promise and fulfillment Hope isn’t the absence of waiting; it is the posture we carry while we wait. The middle stretches faith because it exposes our timelines and our strategies. Yet God often does His deepest forming work there, teaching us to rely on His voice over outcomes. Expectation can grow even in delay when it’s anchored to His character. [11:33]
2. Rehearse God’s faithfulness to reframe pain Remembering is an act of warfare against despair. Catalog His rescues, provisions, and mercies—Scripture’s and your own—until memory becomes medicine for your soul. When you can’t see what He’s doing, call to mind what He’s already done. Faith gains traction when gratitude leads the way. [13:55]
3. Lament honestly, then return to truth God does not despise your tears or your questions; He invites them. Like Jeremiah, name the ache—but don’t let the ache name you. Choose to “return” your mind to the covenant love that outlasts your present season. Lament becomes worship when it ends with trust. [18:29]
4. Fix your eyes on eternal hope A short view breeds panic; a long view breeds courage. In Christ, the end of the story is already written: resurrection, renewal, and God dwelling with His people. This doesn’t minimize present suffering—it locates it inside a glory that will outweigh it. Hope strengthens when eternity anchors today. [25:48]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:35] - Series launch: The Christmas Spirit
[01:20] - Matthew 4: Light breaks in
[02:46] - Hope in the Middle
[03:54] - Christmas birthday and expectations
[07:01] - Defining hope in real life
[08:21] - Israel’s waiting and pain
[11:33] - The hard gap: waiting
[12:20] - Smoker lesson: time-tested flavor
[13:55] - Key One: Rehearse faithfulness
[15:32] - Lament honestly; return to truth
[20:45] - Key Two: Eyes on the future
[23:37] - Rope illustration: time vs eternity
[28:21] - Revelation 21: All things new
[31:41] - Salvation and ministry time

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 4:12–17 — 12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Observation Questions

What specific phrases in Matthew 4:14–16 identify Jesus’ arrival as a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy? What image does Matthew use to describe the change Jesus brings?
What is the immediate response Jesus proclaims in verse 17? How does that response relate to the idea of hope announced in verses 14–16?
Matthew places Jesus in Galilee “to fulfill” prophecy. What does that placement tell you about the relationship between promise (Scripture) and present action?
The sermon described the 400 “silent years” between Malachi and Matthew as a painful waiting period for Israel. How does that historical gap help explain why the people would have needed the message “a light has dawned”? [08:58]

Interpretation Questions

How does Matthew’s citation of Isaiah frame Jesus’ ministry as both prophetic fulfillment and the inauguration of kingdom hope for first-century Jews? [02:46]
In what senses can “a great light” (Matt. 4:16) be interpreted: politically, spiritually, personally? Which sense best fits the sermon’s main point about hope in the middle? [02:10]
Matthew writes “From that time on, Jesus began to preach.” What does that timing say about the difference between the announcement of hope (the incarnation) and the ongoing work of bringing that hope to people?
The sermon compared the “middle” to the smoker example: some flavors only come through long, slow time. How might theologically understood suffering or waiting produce character or faith that a quick fulfillment would not? [11:33]

Application Questions

The preacher’s first key was rehearsing God’s past faithfulness. Make a short list of three specific ways God has provided, protected, or rescued you in the last five years. When discouragement comes this week, how will you use that list to remind your soul of God’s faithfulness? [13:55]
Jeremiah modeled honest lament and then “returned” his mind to God’s covenant love. When was the last time you prayed an honest lament (named pain, anger, confusion)? What would it look like for you to finish that lament by intentionally rehearsing a truth of God afterward? [18:29]
The second key was keeping eyes on the future. Choose one concrete habit you will adopt for the next 30 days to help you fix your gaze on eternity (for example: read Revelation 21 once a week, memorize 1 Peter 1:3–5, journal about “eternal hope” each morning). What exactly will you do and when will you start? [28:21]
The sermon warned against lowering expectations to avoid disappointment. Identify one area of life where you have quietly lowered your expectations. What is one small, concrete step you can take this week toward expecting God to act rather than resigning yourself to less? [06:33]
Rehearsing God’s faithfulness can be shared. Who in your life needs to hear one specific story of how God has been faithful to you? Plan when and how you will share that story in the next two weeks. [14:59]
If you are currently “in the middle” (waiting on a job, healing, relationship restoration, etc.), which of the two keys—rehearsing the past or fixing eyes on the future—feels harder for you right now? Who will you ask to pray with you and hold you accountable to take one step related to that key this week? [31:17]

Sermon Clips

The first key to make sure you maintain hope in the middle is you rehearse his past faithfulness. You rehearse his past faithfulness. You know, the Bible commands us over 90 times to remember God's promises, his faithfulness, or his covenants with us. Over 90 times the Bible says, remember who he is, remember what he's done, remember what he's going to do. [00:13:55] (26 seconds) #RememberGodsPromises

Let me just say this, that having an atmosphere or an attitude of faith and a disposition of hope does not mean you deny the pain that you are walking in. The reality of the human experience is that pain is just a part of the menu. Pain is a part of what we experience. There's confusion. There's doubts. [00:16:50] (18 seconds) #FaithDoesntDenyPain

God actually wants you to verbalize what is going on in your life. He is not afraid of your pain. He's not afraid of your confusion. He's not afraid of your doubts. All of that is going to happen. The question is, where do you take your pain? Do you allow it to disillusion you? Do you allow it to cause you to be jaded? Or do you let it lead you to the foot of the cross where the comforter can comfort you? [00:17:51] (28 seconds) #BringYourPainToTheCross

Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed. For his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. And so I say to myself, the Lord is my portion. Therefore I will wait for him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him. To the one who seeks him. Listen, your pain is real. All of that is very real. [00:18:49] (28 seconds) #GreatIsHisFaithfulness

If you are going to maintain hope, in the middle of lack, you run after your provider. In the middle of sickness, you confess he is your healer. In the midst of not understanding, you realize he is omniscient. He knows it all. And so you run to Jesus and remind your soul of who he is. In the middle of the questions and the concerns and the doubts and the confusion, remind your soul. [00:19:17] (28 seconds) #RunToJesusHeals

If God promised something, he will be faithful to complete it. The problem is it's just almost never on our timeline. See, time is relative for God. But if he said something, if God promised something, he will be faithful to do it. And see, this is important for us in the 21st century church because there's a whole lot of things that God has promised that have yet to come to pass. [00:21:01] (28 seconds) #GodFulfillsHisPromises

So Paul is writing, hey, if you keep your eyes here, you're going to miss it. But there is an eternal hope. So set your eyes not on the here and the now, but set your eyes on eternity. Because there is more to the picture. Because there is a day when you are going to see the King of Kings forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever. [00:25:15] (29 seconds) #EyesOnEternity

How you maintain hope in the meantime in the middle is, yes, there's pain. I get it, but in light of eternity, in light of the bigness, in the greatness, in the majesty of Jesus, it pales in comparison. If you want to maintain hope in the middle, you rehearse his past faithfulness and you keep your eyes on the future. [00:25:49] (29 seconds) #HopeInTheMiddle

``My hope is based on the fact that the God that breathed the stars put on skin and bones. He lived a perfect sinless life and then he died the death that I deserved. And that same Jesus, he conquered sin, death, hell and the grave because he didn't stay dead. So let the storms come. Let the craziness come. Because my hope is not tethered to this planet. My hope is tethered to the eternal King of kings and Lord of lords. [00:29:47] (85 seconds) #HopeTetheredToJesus

You want hope in the middle. You rehearse his past faithfulness. Because his past faithfulness guarantees the promises of the future. That's how we do it. [00:31:12] (17 seconds) #RehearseHisFaithfulness

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