“A thrill of hope the worry world rejoices…” even though this favorite Christmas hymn was written in 1847, we can still relate to it can’t we? We’re weary of the darkness around us, the pain life often brings, the doubt and fear. The world we live in is broken. We stand waiting just as our forefathers have done. We are waiting for rescue and restoration.

Advent by definition means “the arrival”. Advent builds anticipation. During Advent we remember how God’s people waited for the promise of the coming Messiah. Advent also shows us the opportunity to consider our own seasons of waiting. We are still awaiting Jesus‘s return and the fulfillment of his kingdom on earth we are living between the already and then not yet.

READ ROMAND 8:18-25 AND PARAPHRASE EACH VERSE IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

We, along with all of creation, are still groaning, looking in hope to our Savior, looking in hope towards the day when he will come and make all things new.

We are all waiting for something. Sometimes it’s hard to “feel” God‘s love for us when we aren’t always able to see His work in our lives. The people of God have bumped up against this reality for centuries. But make no mistake, God is never idle. He has been working out His story since the beginning of time. Our circumstances don’t determine if God is working, nor do our feelings. We’ve gotten confused along the way believing the life we live is somehow or our story rather than remembering we have the privilege of living in God story! God is faithfully working on your behalf for your good and for His ultimate glory. He is carefully forming you into his image. He is crazy about you and wants you to know Him more intimately. God uses our seasons of waiting to draw us closer to Him, to trust and see His character, to grow our faith, and to fuel our hope in the coming Savior. He is our “thrill of hope!”

Other Podcasts by Bell Shoals:

https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=1550674854 (Bell Shoals Messages)

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bell-shoals-women/id1548939096 (Bell Shoals Women)

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bell-shoals-students/id1549894197 (Bell Shoals Students)