A Thrill of Hope the Weary World Rejoices

BY CAROLINE SCHNEIDER

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“The weary world…”

Diagnosis of cancer. Miscarriage. Marriages falling apart. Death of a life far too young. Hospital stays. Losing loved ones. Sickness all around. Broken relationships. Hatred. Wars. 

I cry often with the weight of these realities all around me. Our world is heavy and darkness lingers. We all feel this and experience the exhaustion of it all. 

“The weary world…”

Every Christmas we sing this line in the infamous song “Oh Holy Night”. As I listened to these words the other day, I was struck by the words that both precede and follow “the weary world”. 

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices. 

Without these words in front and behind, we’re just a weary world suffering without hope. These words caused me to pause. There’s a mystery in rejoicing through weariness. It feels so counterintuitive. Hope, as risky as it feels, is what my whole life is built on. It’s the foundation of my faith and the reason I can still rejoice through hardship. The promise that a little baby really did come to Iight up the darkness and will one day make the brokenness whole again. He really will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore (Revelation 21:4). It’s the peace of God that walks with me daily because of this truth.

This is what the advent season means to me. It is the deepest cry of my heart for God to keep showing up… bringing light to this darkness. It’s the posture of a surrendered mind and my eyes open to what He is doing amidst the suffering. Every second of everyday, watching and hoping. It’s waiting on Him to return again.

Two of my dearest friends and I share what we call God hugs with each other throughout our weeks. We even have a shared note between the three of us that we add to so we’ll never forget. These are the places where we tangibly feel and see this hope that He is Immanuel…God with us, dwelling among us and within us and working around us. 

Where do you see Him today? Where do you feel the thrill of hope? Maybe it’s the friend that texts you to check in. Maybe it’s the lingering hug from your husband after a long day. Maybe it’s the coworker that showed up to help you or the way you’ve seen a group of people rally to help someone in need. Maybe it’s the financial provision that caused a sigh of relief. Maybe it’s the kindness you witness daily in humanity. This is hope. These are hugs from God reminding me that He sees the darkness, and He is the Light in it.

A few nights ago, I started reading this book that has completely captivated my attention. It’s called Imagine Heaven: Near Death Experiences, God’s Promises, and the Exhilarating Future that Awaits You by John Burke. I have fallen asleep reading it the past few nights because I literally can’t put it down. The book is full of  accounts of people who have died and been resuscitated sharing their experience of seeing Heaven before being brought back to life. The book is filled with stories of all different encounters yet have such similar details. Burke writes in the introduction, “Amazingly, they all add color to a similar, grand picture of the afterlife. And that’s my main motive in writing this book– to help you imagine Heaven so you’ll see how wise it is to live for it, plan for it, and make sure you’re prepared for a safe arrival someday.” God has been using this book to bring hope to my weariness once again. I hear Him say, “Caroline, I am with you in the darkness, and I will one day fully rescue you from it and bring you to your real home.” It is a God hug in and of itself and a reminder that I am living for Heaven. 

I don’t share this with you to convince you that Heaven is real (although I believe in my heart that it is, and I personally can’t wait to be there one day) but to give you cause to pause in it. To ponder that we live in a world that is broken and there is a reason it doesn’t feel right. And to give your heart space to sit in that and ask yourself what if it’s all really true? What if a baby really was sent to our world to be the light in the darkness? To live among us and die for us, so we could be with Him in Heaven one day? What if we really can intimately know Him and commune with Him and experience God hugs daily? What if He really is the God who comes?

I am praying for you, dear friend on the other side of the screen. I know this life is hard, and there are burdens you carry and ones yet to come. I don’t know your story, but I know the One who does. May your heart cry out in hope and know the truth that He is the God that comes. May you long for Heaven and know this world is not your home. May you experience His love, the greatest love I have ever known. And if you doubt or question, may you feel a thrill of hope that makes way for the peace of God to invade your life. 

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;

It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.

So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,

Here came the wise men from the orient land.

The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,

In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weakness no stranger.

Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!

Behold your King, your King, before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother;

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we;

Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise his name forever!

His power and glory evermore proclaim!

His power and glory evermore proclaim!