The Prophet’s Message of Hope
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
2 Our , you have made your nation stronger. Because of you, its people are glad and celebrate like workers at harvest time or like soldiers dividing up what they have taken.
Isaiah 9:2
1 In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. The Word was with God and was truly God. 2 From the very beginning the Word was with God. 3 And with this Word, God created all things. Nothing was made without the Word. Everything that was created 4 received its life from him, and his life gave light to everyone. 5 The light keeps shining in the dark, and darkness has never put it out. 6 God sent a man named John, 7 who came to tell about the light and to lead all people to have faith. 8 John wasn't this light. He came only to tell about the light. 9 The true light that shines on everyone was coming into the world. 10 The Word was in the world, but no one knew him, though God had made the world with his Word. 11 He came into his own world, but his own nation did not welcome him. 12 Yet some people accepted him and put their faith in him. So he gave them the right to be the children of God. 13 They were not God's children by nature or because of any human desires. God himself was the one who made them his children. 14 The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him the complete gifts of undeserved grace and truth have come down to us.
John 1:1-14
Memory Verse
Isaiah 9:2
2 Our , you have made your nation stronger. Because of you, its people are glad and celebrate like workers at harvest time or like soldiers dividing up what they have taken.
Have you ever used a nightlight?
Nightlights help us fall asleep at night, because they let us know that the imagined spooky slime monster in the corner is really just a pile of dirty clothes. Even though we know that there are no monsters in our room, sometimes a little bit of light comforts us when we start to feel afraid.
The prophet Isaiah talked about how light shining in the darkness gave people comfort. We know Isaiah 9:2 is about Jesus coming to earth and dying on the cross for our sins. How amazing is that! The hope we have is a person! He hears you when you pray. He speaks to you through the Bible. He loves you. He cares for you. He likes you. He is strong enough to give you hope. He is gentle enough to care for you. He is patient enough to always be with you.
Sometimes we might feel afraid that the batteries in our flashlight might grow weak, or the bulb might burn out in our nightlight and we will be in the dark again. John 1:5 tells us that the darkness has not overcome the light of Jesus. How comforting is that! Not only is the hope we have a person, but he is always able to shine light into whatever we are going through!
Put a flashlight somewhere you will see it every day this week to remind yourself of the hope we have in Jesus.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for the prophet’s message about hope. Thank you for sending Jesus to earth and for the hope that his life, death, and resurrection give me. May I feel him near me as I go through this day. Amen.Related Resources
Philip Vander Windt
Philip VanderWindt is the pastor at Champlain Valley Christian Reformed Church. In his free time he enjoys building “tall-tall towers” with his kids, analyzing worldviews of films and music with his wife, photographing the beauty of God’s creation, dabbling in leathercraft and woodwork, and writing.