Micah = Hope


For MONTHS I have been thinking that God wanted me to write about Micah.  And months ago, when I felt the first tugs about it, I looked up the book in the Bible and read it.  Northing struck me.

I thought instead maybe I was supposed to write about the rock Mica and the layers...but again, nothing.

Then this past week as we started our Advent study on hope, the book of Micah was a subject on the first day.   

It was because as part of his prophecy, Micah also preached HOPE.

I have a sticker on my bulletin board from one of last year's church services. It declares "Hope Changes Everything".  

And this year in our pre-Christmas series at church we're learning that HOPE is different than optimism.  Because while optimism means we "choose" to see how circumstances could work out for the best, Biblical hope, gives us a strong and unwavering foothold in that we can look at the past and see all times where God was faithful and kept his promises, and then use that knowledge of faithfulness as we look to the future.

The book of Micah is a juxtaposition of both warning - and hope.  The warning is that God will not tolerate the sin of the Israelites, and the hope is that He loves them still and will find a way to gather them back to him.

The old testament is full of such examples.  God being (mad, sad, frustrated, angry???) about the choices His people have made.  Choices that cause them to cast Him aside as they search for things other than him to be lord of their lives.

But rest assured, even when we do this - God waits for us to choose Him instead.  He longs for our love, and desires a relationship with us.  So much so, that rather than punish US for our sins, He sent His son to bear the burden for us...once and for all.

"Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.  For the Lord i s a God of justice; how blessed are all those who long for Him." - Isaiah 30:18



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