Advent marks something momentous: God's coming into our midst. The word comes from the Latin word adventus which means, “the coming, the appearing, the arrival.”

As we prepare for Christmas during Advent, HOPE is the first candle we light in the Advent wreath. This seems appropriate since hope, often coupled with waiting throughout the Bible, includes a sense of anticipation.

The Hebrew word for hope [qavah] is sometimes translated as “to wait for.” However, its literal definition in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance is “to bind together (perhaps by twisting)” and comes from the word for cord.

Qavah can be compared to the secure tension you feel when you are holding onto a rope and someone else is also holding firmly to the other end of it. It’s a picture of a strong, braided rope holding us fast to God.

WAITING IN HOPE. The earth waited thousands of years until "the fullness of time had come, [and] God sent forth his Son" (Gal. 4:4). The arrival of Jesus on that first Christmas proves He can be trusted to fulfill His promises, so there is hope for all who wait on Him.

Lam. 3:25-26~ “The Lord is good to those who wait hopefully and expectantly for Him, to those who seek Him [inquire of and for Him and require Him by right of necessity and on the authority of God's word]. It is good that one should hope in and wait quietly for the salvation (the safety and ease) of the Lord.” AMPC

All of us here at Healing Wings Ministries bless you this Christmas season with a strong rope of hope; not easily frayed or broken, but a strength that’s able to secure you firmly to Jesus… no matter what you are waiting for or how long you have been waiting. We pray you are able to recognize and capitalize on every opportunity that waiting brings to plunge you deeper into relational intimacy with Christ.

            WE WISH YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HOPE-FILLED NEW YEAR!

HOPE IS THE AWARENESS THAT GOD IS ACTUALLY EXPECTING, PLANNING, LOOKING FOR AND LONGING TO SHOW YOU HIS GOODNESS. It is the confident expectation that something good is going to happen in our life.

Isaiah 30:18~ “And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!" AMPC

In the days we see unfolding before our eyes, violence, evil and darkness appears to be larger than life. To the casual observer it might be challenging to see God’s goodness. But the thing to remember is that darkness cannot eclipse God’s glory and majesty. Not now. Not ever.
• John 1:5~ "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." NIV
• The Amplified Classic further describes it this way, “And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].”
 
We cannot lose hope! Our posture needs to be firm just like King David’s in Psalm 27:13~“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.”

Beloved, hope is the awareness that God is looking for opportunities to show you His goodness! Stay on the lookout each day for God’s goodness, especially in the midst of so much madness. It’s critical where we place our focus and what we magnify in this season.

I remember driving home from work earlier this year and telling God how difficult my life had become. His response to my complaining however, revolutionized my thinking and changed the lens I'd been using to view my circumstances. He said, “Debbie if you continue to focus on the negatives and hardships you’re going to miss My “touches” throughout the day!”

Pay attention because God’s fingerprints are EVERYWHERE!
• His goodness pursues you all the days of your life (Ps. 23:6).
• God’s goodness is stored up and spilling over like a treasure chest of blessings for those who honor, revere and worship Him (see Ps. 31:19).
• It crowns your year (Ps. 65:11) and is sealed in an everlasting covenant.
Jeremiah 32:40-41~ “I will make an everlasting covenant with them, and I will never stop doing good things for them. I will inspire them to honor and respect me so that they will never walk away from me again. What delight I will have in doing good things for them! With all my heart and soul, I promise that they will be planted firmly in this land once again." TPT

HOPE SERIES Part 2: There's Purpose in the Waiting
Last month we began our HOPE series, addressing the lengthy waiting season we can find ourselves in, all the while trying to keep hope alive. Depending on the length of time we’ve spent waiting, it can cause a hope-deferred heart.

The Hebrew word for wait in Isaiah 40:31 describes more than just passively waiting on God. It means: to tie, twist, bind, or entwine [to make a rope].

The Passion Translation really embodies this definition:
“But those who entwine their hearts with Yahweh will experience divine strength. They will rise up on soaring wings and fly like eagles, run their races without growing weary, and walk through life without giving up.”

God is actually twisting a rope and anchoring us to Himself so we can be empowered with renewed strength to run and not grow weary.

In part 2, I want to discuss the intrinsic value of waiting. Does God actually have a purpose in the waiting? Absolutely He does!

The waiting affords the time needed to acclimatize to the heights to which we have been called. Phil. 3:14~ “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Since God is completing the good work He began in us, our maturing and growing up in Christ; our moving into our calling and destiny; each step we take in traveling with God is actually upward rather than linear. [I.e. new levels, new heights, climbing higher and higher, not necessarily going farther and farther.]

Because of our “upward calling” in Christ there is an acclimatization process necessary to successfully navigate and summit our God-given assignments.
Acclimatize /ə-klī′mə-tīz″/ verb
1. to adjust or adapt to a new climate, condition, environment or altitude.
The mountain climbers spent a few days acclimatizing themselves to the high altitude.

A mountain climber will feel the effects of altitude around 8000’ due to the fact that there’s less oxygen in the air. This means less oxygen in their body, making it more difficult to breathe. (THIS IS WHY AIRPLANES PRESSURIZE THE CABINS TO THAT ALTITUDE).

High altitude climbers have learned how to perform at higher elevations by SLOWLY allowing their bodies to acclimate. This allows their body to create additional red blood cells, which then increases the capacity of oxygen being carried in the blood to compensate for lower oxygen levels.

• For example, it takes months to even attempt to climb Mt Everest. Mt Everest has what is called the Death Zone. At 26,246 feet there’s not enough oxygen to sustain human life for an extended period of time. The oxygen is only one third the amount found at sea level.
• Climb high, sleep low is a strategy high altitude mountaineers use to acclimate in which they gradually climb higher and higher during the day, but always descend to lower levels to sleep. This technique over time increases their red blood cells, thereby improving the amount of oxygen being carried to their body on the higher elevations.
• Resist the temptation to view your season of waiting as a set-back, when in fact it’s really a step-back to bring the increase you need to summit your mountain.

Mountaineers know their training is not optional. They would never attempt to summit a mountain without it. In the same way, we must also train for the heights, and THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS! We won’t be able to sustain the high places in the spirit without acclimatization!

All this time, you thought your waiting has been time wasted, or maybe you even thought that God forgot about you!

• The Lord is even using this rope-twisting process to outfit you with a safety harness that is anchored to Himself!
• You’ve been receiving renewed strength and power!
• God is instilling confidence and trust so you can leap into the BRAND NEW!
• He is forging fearless freedom because you are now anchored to the One who will never let you go.

Beloved, don’t lose hope in the midst of waiting. Instead, let hope finish its purpose in your life. Let the Lord equip you with every single thing you need climb your mountain, realize your dreams and step into your God-given promises. I promise you it will be worth the wait! And the view will take your breath away.