Hope Has Come (Advent 1)

(12/1/25)


Begin With Silence

Take 30 seconds to just pause. Be still. Ask God to open your heart to hear His voice.


Psalm 46:10 (ESV) “Be still, and know that I am God. .. 

1. Wow!


Spend time praising God for who He is... His power, love, creation, and character!


Isaiah 9:2 (NIV84) The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

  • You light lamps long before we see the sunrise.
  • Your promises always outlast the waiting.
  • You are the God who keeps His word.
  • You are the dawn after every night.

2. I'm Sorry!


Be honest with God about your sins and shortcomings. Ask for forgiveness and strength to live a life that honors Him.


Psalm 27:14 (NASB95) Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.

  • Forgive me for losing heart while I wait.
  • I confess fear that forgets Your faithfulness.
  • I've doubted You when time stretched too long.
  • Teach me to wait in worship, not worry.

3. Thank You!


Think about specific things that you are grateful for, big and small. This could include family, friends, your health, or even the air that you breathe.


Romans 15:13 (GW) May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith in him. Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

  • Thank You for hope that overflows.
  • Thank You that Your Word still whispers, "Soon."
  • Even in waiting, You are working.
  • Hope in You has never been wasted.

4. Save Them!


Continually entrust the needs of others, and especially their need of salvation, to God. Wait with faith, not frustration, knowing He’s at work even when you can’t see it.


Hebrews 6:19 (NLT) This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.

  • Anchor the hopeless in Your promise.
  • Shine hope into hospitals, prisons, and lonely rooms.
  • Let weary souls sense that help is coming.
  • Remind the doubting that You remember them.
  • Bring light to those who have stopped looking for it.

5. Deliver Me!


Entrust your needs and pain to God. Ask Him to meet you in your weakness, and remind you that He is enough.


Psalm 130:5–6 (ESV) I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

  • Deliver me from despair disguised as realism.
  • Rescue me from waiting without faith.
  • Help me watch the horizon for Your hand.
  • Let me live as someone certain that hope has come.


Close With Silence


Use the final minute to be quiet, to listen and reflect on your prayer time and what God may be communicating to you. Then close with... 


The Lord’s Prayer

(Pray the words that Jesus taught us to pray)


Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name;

your kingdom come;

your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.

Amen.