12 Monthly Challenges to Elevate Your Faith | December Faith Challenge | Anchoring Hope in GOD’S Promises

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As the year draws to a close and the world around us often buzzes with anticipation, our December faith challenge invites you to cultivate a deep and abiding Hope in GOD’S Promises.

The Hebrew Scriptures is a grand narrative of promises made and promises kept. From the covenant with Abraham to the covenant with David, the scriptures are filled with GOD’S unwavering faithfulness to His word, even across generations and through challenging times. This month, let's intentionally fix our gaze on these divine assurances, allowing them to be the anchor for our souls amidst any storms or uncertainties.

The Challenge: Living in Expectant Hope

For the month of December, let's commit to actively recalling and resting in GOD’S promises, allowing them to fuel our hope and guide our perspective.

Here’s how to engage with the challenge:

  1. Identify a Promise to Anchor To: Prayerfully consider one specific promise from the Holy Scriptures that resonates with your current season or a particular need in your life. This could be a promise of provision, protection, peace, guidance, or restoration.
  2. Daily Affirmation of GOD’S Word: Each day, meditate on your chosen promise. Speak it aloud, write it down, and allow it to sink deep into your heart. Remind yourself that GOD is faithful to His word and that His promises are "yes and amen."
  3. Reflect on Fulfillments: Once a week, reflect on a story from the Hebrew Scriptures where GOD demonstrably fulfilled a promise. Consider the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 21), the deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 12-14), or the return from exile (Ezra/Nehemiah). Witnessing His past faithfulness builds confidence for His future promises.
  4. Journal Your Journey of Hope: Keep a journal throughout December. Document the specific promises you're focusing on, how they are impacting your thoughts and feelings, and any moments where you see GOD’S faithfulness at work. Jot down additional scriptures that bolster your hope.

Supporting Scriptures from the Holy Scriptures 

The Hebrew Scriptures provides a rich foundation for anchoring our hope in GOD’S promises:

  • Lamentations 3:21-23:
    "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of YAH’S great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

    Principle Gleaned: This passage teaches that even in the midst of lament and despair, hope is found by recalling GOD’S unfailing love, never-ending compassions, and great faithfulness, which are renewed daily. It reminds us that His character is the ultimate guarantee of His promises.
  • Numbers 23:19:
    "GOD is not human, that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?"

    Principle Gleaned: This powerful declaration emphasizes GOD’S immutable nature and His absolute trustworthiness. It asserts that unlike humans, GOD does not lie or change His mind; therefore, every promise He makes will be perfectly fulfilled. This provides an unshakeable foundation for our hope.

Conclusion

Anchoring your hope in GOD’S promises is not wishful thinking, but a confident expectation based on His unchanging character and His proven faithfulness throughout history. As you embrace this December Faith Challenge, may you experience a deeper peace, a renewed sense of purpose, and the profound joy that comes from truly trusting in the GOD who always keeps His word.

I hope this blog post has been helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below. Shalom qodesh qadasheem - the “set apart ones.”

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