INSIDE: We have hope because God is the Author of our story + we are not. We have hope because we are not alone. We have hope because Jesus is the protagonist of our story.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

This is the word of the Lord from Hebrews 12:1-2. Thanks be to God.

We have hope because God is the Author

The Author and Finisher of our faith is the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word is Jesus, and the language the Author speaks is Christ. When God spoke and wrote the story of redemption, His speech wasn’t in the mode of sentences or nouns or verbs or articles or predicates. The language He spoke in the New Covenant was Jesus.

Imagine the divine using the dialect of personhood. And so the language is Christ, and the Author is God. God is the Author of your story. The world’s story. The church’s story. The life of every believer has one Author, written in the language of Christ, for without Him was not anything made that was made. Your life is a divine text.

We have hope because God does not label us negatively

And yet, with such a merciful and kind Author, we often struggle to receive the beautiful story He is writing for us. We decide to believe that our story is actually not a story but a label: Imperfect, Selfish, Insignificant, Not good enough. Or, perhaps it’s not a label we’ve accepted but a scarlet letter for our sin: A for Angry Mom, J for Jealous, O for Overspender, W for Workaholic.

Our God – our creative Author – never gives us negative labels and letters. Oh no, what He has to say through our lives is far more robust. He lovingly writes us into His story. He calls us His poem, His masterpiece, and His delight.

We have hope because we are not alone

God. Is writing. Your. Story. And in the story God writes for you, you are not the only character in your story. You do not walk alone. Heaven is cheering you on right now. Can you hear it? Listen to the great crowd of witnesses who surround you right now. 

And those in heaven aren’t the only ones bearing witness to your story: People in your real life help you carry your burdens, help you process your emotions, they see you, and know you.

Your story is not lived in a silo. Your life is not a one-woman play. Your story is woven into the stories of others. 

We have hope because Jesus is the protagonist of our story

But perhaps the best part of your story is that you are not the protagonist of it. Jesus is. Jesus is the protagonist. The victor. The firstborn. And this is our hope. 

The Lord, Christ Jesus, the Word wrote Himself into the story of the world and into your story. He wrote Himself in as a baby, as the Son of a mother, as a helpless infant.

The Author writes the story, enters the story, and wins the victory over sin and death. We have hope because the Word walked among us. We have hope because the Author walks with us still.

For what do we hope?

For what do we hope? If Jesus – the One whose birth made a weary world rejoice – has already come, then for what else do we wait? 

We wait for God to make all things new. For Jesus to come again. For final, ultimate victory over our enemy. For a new heaven and a new earth. For a new body and a new name. For God to wipe away our tears. For death, mourning, crying, and sorrow to be no more.

We hope in the Lord making all things new because we worship the King of kings, the Prince of Peace, and the Creator of Joy. Friend, our hope comes not from living our best life, following every best practice, deciding our own truth, or leveraging every opportunity and advantage. 

We have hope because God is good

We do not need to be the author of our story because we already have an Author. One who came for us as a baby, built cabinetry, fed 5,000, healed the sick, spoke with women, walked on water, was crucified, died, was buried, and rose again on the third day.

Our Author walks with us, guides us, leads us, protects us, loves us.

Sweet friends, we have hope because the Author of our story, in His great mercy, has given us new birth into a living hope. Our hope is the person of Jesus. Our Author is God Himself. And the Author has written us a story of everlasting life, peace, victory, and hope.

We have hope Quotes

  • “When God spoke and wrote the story of redemption, His speech wasn’t in the mode of sentences or nouns or verbs or articles or predicates. The language He spoke in the New Covenant was Jesus.” – Jill E. McCormick
  • “God lovingly writes us into His story. He calls us His poem, His masterpiece, and His delight.” – Jill E. McCormick
  • “Listen to the great crowd of witnesses who surround you right now. ” – Jill E. McCormick
  • “The Author writes the story, enters the story, and wins the victory over sin and death.” – Jill E. McCormick
  • “We have hope because the Word walked among us. We have hope because the Author walks with us still.” – Jill E. McCormick
  • “We do not need to be the author of our story because we already have an Author.” – Jill E. McCormick

As Mentioned in the Podcast

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