Eternal Hope!

But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. Therefore He will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren will return to the sons of Israel. And He will arise and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain, because at that time He will be great to the ends of the earth. This One will be our peace. Micah 5:2-5a (NASB) I am studying Micah for Sunday school right now, and I am exceedingly impacted by the message of hope scattered through the verses of this book of prophecy. I'm struck especially by the image in these verses about when the hope is to come. There is a reference to the birth of Christ, but the hope that Micah is referring to - the time when the true peace will come - is not with His birth, life, death, and resurrection. That brief moment in history is powerful and indispensable. But, for us the true existence in peace will not come until His second coming. It will come in that time when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. All our hope is bound up in the assurance that He is returning for us, returning to establish His eternal kingdom. Where does my hope truly lie? Am I so caught up in desiring to see Him work in my day to day existence here on earth that I forget the hope that is coming for eternity? True, I am confident in my salvation, and the salvation is needed that I may not be eternally separated from my God. But, do I live like that's where my hope lies? I do long to live like I believe that my hope is not tied to anything of this world. I don't want to hold on to my stuff, my circumstances, or even my family - I want to commit each to the Lord and have my focus be such that my every interaction shows the true hope - the eternal hope. My Lord is coming for me!