When I think of Christmas, I appreciate the extra light in the darkness that it brings into our lives: candles, stars, and twinkling trees. But the light of Christmas began in a dark place.

The prophet Isaiah foretold the first Christmas when he spoke to a world that felt as if it were falling apart. God’s people were scared. Armies surrounded them. Their leaders were corrupt. Their nation was divided. And in all that fear, it seemed as if God were not quite as loud as they would have liked. People murmured, wondering if God had forgotten them.  That’s when Isaiah’s voice of hope broke through the gloom with a promise from God Himself.

Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel, which means “God is with us.”

~Isaiah 7:14 NLT

Can you imagine how shocking that news sounded? A child born to an ordinary woman would somehow signal that God was still with them. In a time of fear and darkness, God offered sweet hope—not through an army or power, but through a baby.

Hope is that little sparkle of light in the dark, the tickle of anticipation that lies deep within us. It gives us the courage to keep rising each day and keep going. Hope brings the thrill of believing good things are coming and that better days are ahead. Each of us should keep our own hope lit and alive. Hope is vital. We can survive weeks without food and days without water, but none of us can survive a moment without hope.

Isaiah spoke his hope-filled promises about seven hundred years before Jesus’s birth. And although centuries passed and people waited and wondered, the promise never died. Through all that time, on the best days and through dark and discouraging times, hope still flickered within God’s people.

Finally, the angel appeared to Mary and told her she would give birth to a son who would be named Jesus. That’s when Isaiah’s ancient promise finally burst into life. The child born in Bethlehem was Immanuel. God had come to be with us. Hope finally had a face and a body. Hope had arrived.

Yet, Christmas is so much more than a celebration of something that happened long ago. It’s a reminder that the same God who kept His promise in the past still keeps His promises now. Christmas reminds us that even though our world may feel dark and unstable, the light still shines. Each year, Christmas offers us the light of hope even when we face the shadows of disappointment. Christ is that light in the darkness.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

John 1:5 NLT

So this Christmas, as we reflect on hope, remember that hope isn’t wishful thinking. Our hope is not based on our circumstances. Our hope—our beautiful, life-giving, thrilling hope—has a name: Jesus.

And that means the light of Christmas still shines. Hope remains in our darkest nights, our most challenging times, and our most disappointing times. Immanuel is still here. God is still with us. And the light of HOPE continues to burn on and on in each of us.

Think of ways to keep your hope lit and alive.

Father, may I carry the light of Your hope into my world through this Christmas season and beyond. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Genre: Nonfiction

Copyright 2025: Light in the Darkness: Cynthia Mendenhall: All rights reserved