Hymns of Hope: Come, Thou Long Expectant Jesus

Although the people of Israel had been long awaiting the coming of the Messiah, He did not come as they expected Him to. They expected the triumphant coming of a king, but not one born in a humble stable. They expected Him to be adored and extolled at His coming, but not by lowly shepherds. They expected Him to confront their oppressors, not the piety of their religious leaders. In fact, all throughout the gospels, we see the long expected Jesus breaking all our expectations.

We tend to fill our thoughts of Christ with our own suppositions of what He should be like, and what He should do on our behalf. But Jesus did not leave the marvels of heaven to fulfill our expectations. No, He came to set His people free. He came to calm our fears, release us from the curse of sin, and grant us rest. He came to give us strength, to console our hearts in the midst of our sorrow, and to be our living hope. He came so that the longing heart might again taste joy.

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Originally composed by Charles Wesley in 1745, this hymn narrows in on the incarnation of Christ and the wonders that resulted. The opening line draws our hearts to both gratefully reflect on the past and also yearn for the future. We remember Christ’s first coming and eagerly await His second. Wesley, who wrote this song in eighteenth-century England—a time when sin and suffering were rampant and devotion to God was weak at best—expressed his hope for Christ to come and make all things right.

And we too long for deliverance. We long for the day when everything that groans under the weight of sin will be restored—when everything that is wrong will be made right. We yearn for the Lord to bring His gracious kingdom and reign forever, for Him alone to rule our hearts. We wait with eager expectation for His return and our glorious redemption.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

This Christmas, as you focus your heart on the birth of our Savior, take time to remember the reason He came. When you feel overwhelmed by the business of this season, pause to remember that Jesus offers you rest. When your spirit is weighed down in grief, remembering the loved ones that won’t be present with you this holiday, take heart! The long expected One is your strength and consolation. When this Christmas does not look the way you wanted it to, call to mind that your Savior came to be the hope and joy of every longing heart.

This baby in a manger was born to deliver us from the curse of sin and to usher in His kingdom. The Child-King has come and He will come again. And one day, we too will join our precious babies when we are raised to His glorious throne.

Come, Lord Jesus. We wait for you.

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Ashlee is the Editorial Coordinator for Hope Mommies and author of I AM (Hope Mommies, 2017) and Identity (Hope Mommies, 2018). She and her husband, Jesse, live in Milwaukee with their children—five on earth and two in heaven.

 

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