Hope of the World Bringing Joyful Expectancy

The first week of Advent celebrates Christ as the Hope of the World. But let’s be clear—we cannot survive without hope any day of the year. Without hope, the human heart shrivels up. Psalm 133:12a says:

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

       New Revised Standard Version (NRSV, emphasis added)

A hope that is put off sickens the heart. How many of us can relate to that?

The Passion Translation words it:

12When hope’s dream seems to drag on and on, the delay can be depressing. 

     The Passion Translation (TPT, emphasis added)

Have you ever asked, “When, God? When will things turn around?” It is such a human question when we are suffering. We can see this in the once ultra-confident John the Baptist, who proclaimed Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)! He, as well as the Jewish society at the time, including His disciples, believed that when Messiah would come, He would then overthrow the Roman oppressors and set up a natural kingdom, restoring the Jews to their former glory. But Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God as a spiritual kingdom that would culminate in Him being crucified for the benefit of all His fallen creation (John 18:36). When things did not turn out as John the Baptist expected and he was thrown in prison, John was thrown for a loop. In his dejected state, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect someone else?” (Luke 7:18-19). Luke 7:21-23 continues:

21 Jesus had just then cured many people of diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits and had given sight to many who were blind. 22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight; the lame walk; those with a skin disease are cleansed; the deaf hear; the dead are raised; the poor have good news brought to them. 23 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

  (NRSV, emphasis added)

The signs of the Messiah included: the blind receiving their sight, the lame walking, the lepers cleansed, the deaf hearing, the dead are raised, and the poor having good news brought to them. All those were the tangible signs fulfilled by the incarnate Christ and prophetic expectations that pointed to the true Messiah at the time when there were many false “messiahs.” The establishment of the Kingdom of God manifesting on earth would come through a cross, not a hostile takeover of a repressive regime. The expectation that the Messiah would establish an earthly kingdom that would exalt the Jews led to disappointment, disillusionment, and offense with Christ when, instead, He was crucified.

We see this too with Christ’s disciples, who expected the Messiah to overthrow their Roman oppressors and reign in a natural kingdom with them as His ruling “cabinet.” They failed to see His crucifixion and resurrection as the entry way for the redemption of all things in the long game of human history. In Luke 24, two of Christ’s dejected disciples encountered the risen Christ after His crucifixion but did not recognize Him. They asked the resurrected Jesus:

 “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19 He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.”

   Luke 24: 18-21(NRSV, emphasis added)

Once again, the expectation of the Messiah was not a spiritual kingdom culminating in His crucifixion and resurrection. Interestingly, Jesus had even flat told His disciples what to expect:

31 Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be handed over to the gentiles, and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. 33 After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.” 34 But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

   Luke 18:31-34 (NRSV, emphasis added)

He had told them two previous times (Luke 9:22 and Luke 9:44-45), and with this third foretelling, they still did not grasp it. Hence, a faulty expectation remained, leading to disillusionment, depression, dejection, and offense. It is easy to look back at the clueless disciples and feel superior, as if we would have done better. This is pride, my friends, and we need to resist it. Chances are, if we grew up in their same culture all of our lives, we would not have done better. 

So how is Christ, as the hope of the world, to be looked at and engaged with regarding our own suffering and circumstances? There are many, many promises of God. And God is not a liar—He IS Truth. We all have been confused with prayers that didn’t seem answered at all or, at least, not in the way we wanted. What about the promises that looked like they were not fulfilled? How many of us have “reminded God” of His promises, as if He needed a refresher or needed our instruction or our convincing in how to be good? It is easy to do so in our pain and limited perspective. How do we guard against these times, which seem to set us up for dejection, disillusionment, and offense?

We need to go to God with the promises we do know and ask Him what that looks like for us in our particular circumstances. We need to ask Him how we should approach our needs and desires being met. This brings up the contrast between expectancy and expectation. 

Expectancy involves anticipation and looking forward to God moving on our behalf, without assuming what that looks like. An expectation involves a specific outcome, perhaps with a specific timeframe or mode of operation. 

The former, expectancy, will help us weather all the things that come against us.

It is the latter, faulty expectations, that can get us into trouble so that the hope we have is deferred and can make our heart sick. Remember, everything we do is designed as something done in the context of our relationship with Love, Who has our highest good in mind and that of all creation. We should ALWAYS live with expectancy. This would look like reminding ourselves:

“I don’t know how this is going to turn out, but one way or the other, it is 

going to be good. Lord, show me what I need to know to approach this.”

Romans 8:28 says:

28 So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together for good, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose.

(TPT, emphasis added)

The commentary says, “The Aramaic is ‘harmony.’ God works all things together harmoniously.”

God is so masterful that even when horrific things happen (never from Him), He is able to redeem them and weave them into something that surpasses the injury. Second Corinthians 4:17-18 says:

16 Therefore we do not become discouraged [spiritless, disappointed, or afraid]. Though our outer self is [progressively] wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary, light distress [this passing trouble] is producing for us an eternal weight of glory [a fullness] beyond all measure [surpassing all comparisons, a transcendent splendor and an endless blessedness]! 18 So we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the things which are visible are temporal [just brief and fleeting], but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable.

             Amplified Bible (AMP, emphasis added)

God’s love and grace so far surpass every trial we know now, especially since they are temporary and “light” compared to the weight of glory that is being/will be revealed. This requires that we connect with the unseen Kingdom that we are already in—by God’s strength and empowering grace. This provides the proper expectancy that can keep us steady in hard times. 

But we need to be careful of presuming what things will look like and how they will go and when they will go. This is unless those things have been specifically fleshed out to us as we engage with Holy Spirit. If they have been specifically revealed out by Holy Spirit and confirmed (in your spirit and by others), hold tight to the word/vision given, but ask and allow God to correct any false assumptions that may be consciously or subconsciously carried. 

God is indeed a God of vast hope. Expectancy joyfully bursts forth in Romans 5:3-5, which says:

3But that’s not all! Even in times of trouble we have a joyful confidence, knowing that our pressures will develop in us patient endurance. 4And patient endurance will refine our character, and proven character leads us back to hope. 5And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us! 

(TPT, emphasis added)

The commentary says, “This hope does not put one to shame.” 

This hope is based in our union with Love, Who one way or another, never fails. Hallelujah!

Remember Psalm 133:12, which talked about deferred hope making the heart sick? Happily, it continues:

but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

(NRSV, emphasis added)

And in The Passion Translation, it says:

But when at last your dream comes true, life’s sweetness will satisfy your soul. 

TPT (emphasis added)

You can have vast hope and a joyful expectancy that somehow, someway, at some inevitable point, God will work all things together for your and your loved ones’ good—because you are chosen, accepted, and adored!

Praise God! THAT is good news! I trust that this has encouraged you. I’d love to hear a testimony you have of a hope finally fulfilled as you maintained an expectancy of God’s goodness and lovingkindness.

Be encouraged throughout this Christmas season (or whatever season it is when you read this). It is always the season to celebrate Christ!

Much Love,

Catherine