Ascent 2025: Week 1 - Hope Lights a New Story

Hello everyone!!

Welcome to Ascent 2025: Candles of Resilient Light, my 2025 four-week Advent journey where Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love ignite strength through valleys, storms, and crushing, rewriting “just enough” into new stories of resilient ascent.

This year, I wanted to begin with the Hope Candle, a quiet flame for those seasons when energy runs low, and stories feel stuck, reminding us that God writes new chapters from the ashes of hardships. 

This week, I invite you to let hope shift from what you wish to present anchor, and here are your daily reflections:

Day 1: When Hope Feels Far

“Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:21–24)

In hard times, hope often hides behind fatigue, but God invites us to name it first, choosing to remember His mercy that renews daily, even when our strength does not.

Whatever you are going through, know that God`s love never fails.

Day 2: Light in the Deepest Night

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:2)

Advent’s hope pierces the darkest valleys you might be walking through. God`s light overcomes every shadow, promising dawn amid personal valleys. 

Pray over whatever darkness you are going through.

Day 3: Hope for Tired Hearts

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak… those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:29–31)

A few months ago, God showed me that He would give me “just enough” for each day, just as He provided manna in the wilderness. When we place our hope in Him, He supplies what we need day by day, His love pouring out just enough strength and sustenance until complete restoration comes. This has been leading me into a deeper surrender and trust, learning to receive each day’s portion with open hands.

List three fatigue spots (body, mind, heart). Pray Isaiah 40:31 over each one of them.

Day 4: Hope While You Wait

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart.” (Psalm 27:13–14)

Waiting tests hope, oh yes!! And during our waiting periods, we might even lose hope. Yet Advent trains us in active endurance, right? Waiting is not delay, but a steady ascent through uncertainty, with our eyes fixed on God’s goodness unfolding.

What is it that you are waiting for? 

Day 5: Hope in the Middle of Hardship

“We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3–5)

We often don’t realize how hardship shapes hope, not in spite of the pain, but right through it. It is indeed very hard, but in those pressing places, God refines our faith like gold and grows resilience where valleys and storms collide. He reshapes our stories even while the trial is still unfolding.

Journal:

1.  “Where am I seeing God at work in the middle of my struggle—not after it, but right now?”  Write one sentence of gratitude for His refining work.

2. “What part of my faith is being strengthened through this hardship?” Name one area where you sense growth or stretching. 

3. “In what ways is God teaching me resilience in this season?” Identify a moment where you kept going even when it was difficult. 

4. “What truth about God am I learning to trust more deeply because of this hardship?” Write a prayer of surrender around that truth.

Day 6: Overflowing Hope for Others

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

Personal hope multiplies when shared, becoming a carrier that spills into relationships, work, and community, powered by the Spirit. And often, the very trials we wish would pass become the testimony God uses to reveal His faithfulness through us. Your struggle is not wasted, God is shaping a story that will strengthen others, showing them His goodness even in the hard places.

Text or call someone who needs hope. Share a verse or your Day 1 sentence.

Day 7: Naming Your Ascent 2025 Story

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Review the week: God has lit hope’s flame amid your “just enough.” Name this Advent’s new chapter—your resilient ascent begins. 

I am a great believer in the power of stories, hence I invite you now to title your story (e.g., “Hope in the Valley”). Place it by your candle for 2025.

Worship Song

I'd like to leave this song with you “Living Hope” by Phil Wickham. Let this truth echo in your heart: “Jesus Christ, my living hope!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RD9f2FXxDVO6w&v=9f2FXxDVO6w

Simple Activities

• Journal Anchor: Track daily prompts in a notebook titled “Ascent 2025.”

• Generosity Seed: Share hope with one person or more; consider a small first-fruit offering (time or resources) as a sign of trust for your new story. (2 Corinthians 9:6–7)

Closing Prayer

Lord, You are our steady source of hope. You are our anchor in the storm. In every season, whether bright or burdened, remind us that You walk closely with us. Strengthen our hearts for the day ahead, and fill us with the quiet confidence that You are at work in ways we cannot yet see. Let Your peace, Your light, and Your love overflow in us and through us. Shape our steps, renew our spirits, and guide our stories forward by Your grace. Amen.

Week 1 Scriptures at a Glance

Key Verses 

Anchor | Lamentations 3:21–24; Romans 15:13; Isaiah 9:2–6 

Strength | Isaiah 40:29–31; Psalm 27:13–14 

Trials | Romans 5:3–5; Hebrews 11:1

Thank you for joining me this Advent season. May God shower you with His blessings, and I pray that you will encounter Him in new and meaningful ways along this journey.

With love,

Emmanuella