Has he filled your heart with hope?
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13
Lord of Hope,
You know one of our children’s favorite seasonal movies
is The Polar Express,
though they’re long past
imagining that the North Pole
is where the main action of Christmas takes place.
The movie, based on the wonderful book by Chris Van Allsburg,
is about belief,
but the belief is in a myth.
Unlike “Hero Boy,”
we need a different kind of believing—
we need to believe that you,
the true hero of our truest story,
were born as a baby,
grew as a child,
taught in the temple,
turned water into wine,
raised people from the dead,
died on a cross,
and rose from the dead.
It is in this belief
that we find our deepest hope,
our longed-for joy,
and our perfect peace.
By your Holy Spirit,
grant us this belief
today and every day.
In Jesus’ trustworthy name. Amen.
Read Romans 15:1-13.
Get Elizabeth’s Advent devotional for free here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/34no8c805q.
