Have you ever looked forward to something, only to have it be less amazing than you imagined? I’m currently in the middle of some transitions—I’ve recently graduated grad school, and my husband is still in his post-grad schooling. I thought that everything would be 1000x better after I graduated, and yet (shocker) life still has its ups and downs. And yet I still find myself tempted to think everything really will be perfect after my husband finishes his degree. I think it’s so easy to get our hope caught on the wrong things, so I’m very thankful for passages like Micah 5 that point us straight to Jesus and our heavenly hope.  

Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah, preaching to common Judahites outside Jerusalem (Dr. Constable’s Notes on Micah, p. 4). I love how the ESV Study Bible discusses the book’s theme:  

“The theme of Micah is judgment and forgiveness. The Lord, the Judge who scatters his people for their transgressions and sins, is also the Shepherd-King who in covenant faithfulness gathers, protects, and forgives them.” (ESV Study Bible ebook, p. 7248) 

Even though God’s people disobeyed Him and broke the covenant, God gives hope. This hope is not based on His people’s faithfulness, but rests securely on His. We have the gift of living on the opposite end of the promised Messiah, and we can see and celebrate God’s faithfulness. But we haven’t seen all of God’s faithfulness yet, as we patiently await Christ’s ultimate return (Luke 21:36). We can be confident that our hope – centered on Jesus – will fulfill and complete us more than we can ever imagine. As God exhorts us in 2 Peter 3, we must live according to this hope and allow it to change our daily lives and relationships as we wait for our Jesus (2 Peter 3:11-18). 

How does this eternal hope affect our smaller hopes and goals? I pray it gives us perspective, as we keep our treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-21) and see the world through God’s Kingdom lens. God’s hope frees us to enjoy our current season of life, seeing it not as an end but to reflect God’s plan and hope, as we work with God (2 Corinthians 6:1) for His Kingdom purpose.