THE SETUP
“I planned out our whole day. First, we’ll make snow angels for two hours, then we’ll go ice skating, then we’ll eat a whole roll of Toll House cookie dough as fast as we can, and then we’ll snuggle.” – Buddy the Elf, when he found his real dad
If you’ve seen Elf once, or a thousand times, you know that Buddy, a human, was raised by elves at the North Pole. As an adult, he sets out to find his real father. As Buddy is sent off, a Narwhal tells him, “Bye Buddy, hope you find your dad.”
After a long journey, Buddy tracks down his dad and shares his plans for father-son bonding. But his hopes are dashed. His dad is not interested in a relationship. He wants the opposite. He wants Buddy as far from him as possible. Buddy is crushed (don’t worry, it works out in the end, it’s a Christmas movie after all).
Sometimes it can feel like our hope, even in God, is unrealized, just like Buddy’s. We pray. We wait. We believe. But the answer doesn’t come, and our hope begins to fade. Advent is a reminder that God fulfills his promises and that his timing often looks different than ours. Hope in God doesn’t have an expiration date. When it is realized in our lives it brings a fulfillment the world around us can’t provide.
READ THE PASSAGE
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What are some of the attributes of God in this passage that inspire hope in you this Advent season?
What do you think that it means to “wait on the Lord” (verse 31)?
What can re-kindle hope in you this Advent season? Have you talked to God about it?
PRAYER IDEA
“Lord – I will wait on you this Advent season. You are the Everlasting God and the creator of the universe. As I wait for and trust you, I believe you will strengthen my faith and exceed my hopes. Amen.”