Hope College Devotions

For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?

Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
1 Thessalonians 3:9–13

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In our current time and place, the importance of individual achievement can easily overshadow our strong need for community. Unchecked, this emphasis can map onto our understanding of faith. We can assume that it’s all up to us to maintain a fruitful relationship with our Creator. And when we go through dry seasons where it feels like God is distant, we may feel like it’s somehow our fault or that there is something wrong with us. We see others around us flourishing, growing in leaps and bounds in their faith. A natural response is to compare our lives with theirs: perhaps the stark differences make us feel ashamed, jealous or bitter. Further isolation follows as we pull away from them. There is a better example to emulate.

Paul’s response to his own distress and affliction is to rejoice in the strong faith of loved ones, thanking God and asking that anything lacking in them may be restored (1 Thessalonians 3:9–13). Though counterintuitive, if we do the same, we can find our weakened faith to be bolstered by those near to us. Thankfully, it is not our job to regulate our faith as if it is just another personal dimension of life, like education, physical fitnes, or social status. We can share the faith of others, and take comfort in their strength when we are weak. And one day, these same neighbors may need to draw on the strength of our faith because of their own struggles. We are created to rely on and comfort one another, especially as we experience the ups and downs of a life of faith. 

Dr. David Keep is an assistant professor of music.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust;
let me not be put to shame;
let not my enemies exult over me.
Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.

Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!

Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
Psalm 25: 1–10

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“Teach me” … those two words often become harder to say as we grow older. As children, we asked others to show or teach us how to do things like ride a bike, tie a shoe, throw a baseball, make a paper airplane or read a book. However, as we grow older our willingness to be humble and ask for guidance to learn something new often fades with the years or becomes subservient to our ego and pride.

The concept of “humble inquiry” was developed by Edgar Schein, a former professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Originally developed to assist business leaders in the workplace, humble inquiry involves a willingness and intentionality of acknowledging what we don’t know and seeking answers from someone who does. When practiced, the process of asking questions, seeking information or being willing to learn from someone else allows two people to connect and engage with one another in ways that strengthen their relationship. The act of humble inquiry creates a symbiotic relationship of mutual benefit where the individual who seeks to be taught enhances their knowledge and understanding, while the other feels valued and honored for being asked to impart it. 

The Psalmist in today’s passage encourages us to be practitioners of humble inquiry with our Triune God by crying out, “Make me to know your ways, O Lord… teach me your paths.” We know that God wants us to seek His wisdom and ways through instruction and prayer, but sometimes we are not humble enough to ask. Our arrogance and pride make us think we can handle life on our own. However, as Christians, we have a free educational opportunity of life-long learning at the feet of Jesus, a spiritual form of Hope Forward. As such, we should constantly practice humble inquiry and position ourselves before the creator, sustainer and greatest teacher as we face decisions and choices about how to live. When we ask God to teach us and show us His paths through biblical study and prayerful supplication, we will find comfort and instruction beyond earthly measure. 

God of mercy and comfort we humbly ask that you teach us your paths and show us your ways. We agree with the Psalmist when we are told that your paths are good, upright and always filled with steadfast love and faithfulness. We thank you for that and pray that we never fail to humble ourselves before you. Teach us how to engage with each other and our world in ways that bring glory to you and your kingdom.

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Dr. Kirk Brumels is the John H. and Jeanne M. Jacobson Professor of Kinesiology.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’”
Jeremiah 33:14–16

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To the Israelites who were the first audience of this prophecy, suffering corruption from within and persecution from Babylon, it meant a king restored to the throne of David in Jerusalem and priests performing sacrifices in a renewed temple. The first coming of Jesus as the true successor of David completely changed how his followers think about kingship and righteousness. Yet how can this ancient text still point us forward? What does it mean for the Lord to be our righteousness?

I tend to find righteousness in being on the right team. This can mean the right nation or church but is usually subtler, in ways I’m still discovering: the right religion or way of thinking, even doing the right thing. It’s hard to conceive of a righteousness that is not about right as opposed to wrong, just as it’s hard to imagine a kingdom that is not about a king executing justice through some sort of force. But the definition of biblical righteousness that makes more sense to me is right relationship, just as Jesus shows true kingship to work by vulnerable, non-coercive, self-sacrificial love.

When Jesus takes up the metaphor of the branch in John 15, he calls himself the true vine and invites us to be branches that abide in him so as to bear fruit. We are to expect to be pruned (and haven’t we had a time of pruning?) so as to bear more fruit. The fruit is love, and the abiding is in his love. Those called to abide he calls friends, not slaves, because he has made known to us all he has heard from his Father. In this season, let us abide together in love and wait to be surprised by the fruit of the peaceful kingdom coming.

Dr. Curtis Gruenler is a professor of English.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the LORD’s hand
double for all her sins.”
Isaiah 40:1–2

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When singing Christmas carols like Away in a Manger — “Little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay // The baby awakes… no crying he makes” — it’s easy to forget that the Christmas story was actually a total train wreck. The scandal of unexpected teen pregnancy, the screaming of a woman in labor, the crying baby in a grimy animal food trough. That night was far from silent. 

And yet, God brought salvation to all mankind from that dirty manger. Consistent with His character, God does the same for us: our challenges, which so often feel like unredeemable train wrecks, are opportunities for God to work redemption for our good and His glory.

This is the promise of Christmas, and is our greatest comfort: God brings redemption out of seeming disaster. He finds us in our troubles and heals our heartache. This is the comfort of HOPE: the light comes into the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it. Even when life feels like a train wreck, we take comfort in the redemption worked out of that dirty manger and noisy night.

On a scale from train wreck to redemption, I’m not sure what your life feels like right now. But whether you’re experiencing heartache or gladness (or a little bit of both), I pray that this Advent devotional, Comfort My People, will provide you with a glimpse of the comfort that only God can provide.

Beginning tomorrow, November 28, faculty and staff from Hope College will guide us on a devotional journey to Christmas Day. Every day of Advent, you will find a new meditation on a scripture passage adapted from the Revised Common Lectionary.

If you haven’t already subscribed to receive daily emails, please sign up here. Or, you can follow along online at hope.edu/advent. And please, share this with your friends and anyone else who might be interested in joining us.

Thank you for joining Hope College for Advent!

Matthew Scogin is the president of Hope College.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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