Every Christmas we sing the Christmas Carol, “O Holy Night,” and this is the first year that the stanza – the weary world rejoices resonated in my head and heart.
O holy night, the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth;
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices…
In the midst of weariness, there is a thrill of hope and it is Jesus. The trials we face today are real. The suffering we experience is real. But the hope we find in Jesus Christ is also real and unlink the things of this world because this hope is eternal.
Now more than ever, our world is weary and needs to find a reason to REJOICE. As a whole, people around us are overwhelmed and anxious, and for many, the future is uncertain. Many are struggling with fear and heaviness. But even in the midst of weariness, you and I have the ability, and dare I say, the responsibility to bring to this weary world – a “thrill of hope.” As a disciple of Christ, we are not captive to this weary world because we were transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light when we were born again. We are IN this weary world, but we are no longer OF this weary world. We were born from above. Our life is hidden in Christ in God, and when He appears, we shall appear with Him! Our “blessed hope” is more than a religion; it is a person.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 reminds us that as believers, we “do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.” We know that the sorrows and tribulations of this world will one day pass away. Still, we not only have the promise of eternity with our Savior, and we have the promise now that says, “I AM WITH YOU.”
This Christmas, in the midst of our weary world, I want to encourage you to rejoice because Jesus is our hope!
“For unto us a child is born, unto us, a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
