The observance of Advent, a time of heart preparation for the celebration of Jesus Christ becoming flesh, is not something I’ve been very aware of or focused on in past years. This year I am seeking to more fully engage in anticipation and longing for the coming of Jesus into our weakness and need as Savior, Counselor, Healer, and Prince of Peace. What a gracious and loving God who would humble Himself in this way to restore to us the relationship with Him that we had rejected! I’m enjoying a weekly advent devotional with the church plant team in Mexico City, and also going through this free Advent Devotional by John Piper, which I also highly recommend. If you decide to check it out and want to discuss it with someone, I’m your girl! Regardless of how we each celebrate this preparation time, may we know Him better and dearer through it. He is more than worthy of our pursuit of His goodness and holiness, and of His very self, He whom we are invited to commune with intimately. He is the answer to our every need, every hurt, every longing, every desire and every weakness. The problems with our world are not outside of us; they are a result of the brokenness of our hearts, since we chose our own way instead of God’s. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, sent His Son: His very self, to live the righteous life we could not, and to take our place in death so we can live with Him forever. I invite you to meditate on this passage that describes this Savior and how He is the answer we are looking for.
Isaiah 11:1-9
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.
9 They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.