Following the Star

Pause

It is Advent. The Lord is coming. This is our hope.

With every breath you take — Wait. With every breath you take — Listen.

Wait and Listen. Hear the coming of the Lord.

Listen

If only you would tear open the heavens and come down! Mountains would quake before you like fire igniting brushwood or making water boil. If you would make your name known to your enemies, the nations would tremble in your presence.

When you accomplished wonders beyond all our expectations; when you came down, mountains quaked before you.

Isaiah 64:1-3

Think

Have you ever had to wait for something that you really wanted? For me, this type of longing always comes around Advent and Christmas, when I am longing to spend time with my family.

In our passage, Isaiah and Israel are longing too. They’re longing for the mighty acts that God had done in the past. They longed for miracles like the deliverance at the Red Sea, where no one could dispute God’s presence among them. But with no mighty movements in sight, all they could do was long and wait.

Waiting on God can be difficult. This is true for me as I count the number of gatherings I have had to cancel as a result of COVID-19. I long to be with my family and my friends.

Isaiah does not get the mighty acts that he longs for. Sometimes we don’t get what we long for either — at least not in the timing that we prefer.

In waiting we learn to trust God.

Emmitt Drumgoole

Pray

God, I am not always good at waiting. Help me to trust you, in the mighty acts and in the silent nights. Amen

Go

It is Advent. The Lord is coming.

Go! Make ready for the Lord!