Advent: Waiting for Messiah
Say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
He is coming to save you.”
And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
and unplug the ears of the deaf.
The lame will leap like a deer,
and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
and streams will water the wasteland.
Isaiah 35.4-6
Meditation
Can you imagine what it would have felt like for the people of God, Israel, who had been waiting & waiting & waiting for Yahweh to send the Messiah, the Savior, & He never came? In fact, not only had they been waiting for hundreds of years, for the past 400 years the voice of God had fallen completely silent. Your parents & grandparents & great grandparents had told you story after story after story of a God who had done great things. You knew the stories of the Exodus by heart. The stories of Jericho & how the walls fell down at the shout of the trumpets. The story of Rahab. The stories of life in the promised land. The stories of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob. The stories of Moses & Aaron. The stories of Noah & Enoch, David & Elijah. Elisha. Stories of the judges. People like Deborah & Samson. But you’ve never seen Yahweh do anything close to the stories you’ve heard all your life. There haven’t been any prophets of God in the last 400 years. No miracles. No signs. No sound. Nine months seems like a long time to wait for a baby to be born but try 400 years. In your seasons of waiting remember the Lord is near & His promises are true. He is faithful to save.
Prayer
Abba Father, help me in my seasons of waiting to trust you. To believe that your words are true & that you are a faithful God. Help me to be strong & to not be afraid. And in those seasons when it feels like you’re far away, remind me to trust that you are always near. When it seems as if your silent, may I remember you are working all things together for our good & for your ultimate glory. For the Messiah has come & He is coming again. Help me in my waiting to trust you in all things. Yes Jesus.
Amen.
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I serve as the Co-Senior Minister at First Colony Church of Christ in Sugar Land, TX. I enjoy sports, running, fishing & life with the family. I’ve been in ministry since 1999. My wife Alisha & I have three amazing children, Will, Ella Grace & Emma Love. Thank you for stopping by my website!
