Moving from the Holidays…into Hope for the New Year. Sometimes we don’t want the Holidays to end, other times we just want to survive them and get through them. I have had several like that,

one was being a shepherd in a live nativity and attacked by goats ( they couldn’t find sheep). The goats were strangely attracted the cologne I was wearing that night.

One the greatest gifts that God has given us, is the gift of Hope. Regardless of your experience this season, we always have a deisire for Hope in the New Year.

Hope is something we all need, yet it is not always easy to define or understand. Hope is more than just wishful thinking… it is having a quiet confidence in God, regardless of the circumstances.

I like how Lysa Terkeurst describes it: “My hope isn’t tied to my expectations finally being met in my way and in my timing. No, my hope isn’t tied to whether or not a circumstance or another person changes. My hope is tied to the unchanging promise of God. I hope for the good I know God will ultimately bring from this, whether the good turns out to match my desires or not.”

That is real hope. We often place our personal expectations in our prayers but we should not limit God to how He answers them.

This kind of hope you can count on, no matter what is going on in your life. In the Bible it is described in Hebrews 6:19 as an anchor of our soul:

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.” ” -(KJ21)

“Now we have this hope as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul (it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whatever pressure bears upon it) a safe and steadfast hope.” – (AMPC)

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul (our lives), sure, stable, secure, strong, reliable, unshifting.” -(EXB)

“This hope we hold as the utterly reliable anchor of our souls, fixed in the very certainty of God Himself in Heaven.” – (PHL)

“We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It is an unbreakable spiritual lifeline , reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God, where Jesus, running ahead of us .” – (MSG)

Our hope in God his also defined in the Bible as our help, shield, and protector . What a stress reliever and positive difference that should make in our attitude as we trust and follow Him in our daily lives:

“We wait in hope for the Lord, He is our help and our shield.” – Psalm 33:20 (NIV)

“We depend on you, Lord, to help and protect us.” – Psalm 33:20 (CEV)

From away in the Christmas manger to our Hope for this New Year…Jesus is still our best source of Hope for each and everyday.