Advent - Day 3
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14
Full Readings: Isaiah 7:10-16, Matthew 1:18-25
It’s the third day of the first week of Advent. A week of hope. A week to reflect on the anticipation of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
Advent is all about liminality (you can look that one up - great word). We attempt to live in two times. We transport our minds and hearts in the years preceding Christ even as we remain firmly rooted in our own moment. Or in this case… three time zones.
I wonder if you have ever had a time when you truly felt like God was far from you. I think most of us have. I can think of two times. Once, I was a teenager, and I had vowed to God that I would never look at pornography again. I broke my vow. God felt a long way away.
Another time. There was conflict in my workplace. The culture had become toxic and to be honest, I was in large part to blame. Both times, it was my sin that caused me to feel far from God. Have you ever felt like that?
Whether it is because of your sins, someone else’s or just the sin and suffering of the world, Isaiah’s prophecy and its fulfilment reminds us that though we distance ourselves from God, He has come to us in Jesus Christ.
Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. Truly with us. He came amongst us in the flesh. He lives with us now through the Holy Spirit. However dark things seem or we seem. If we trust in Jesus, then He is never far but with us.
For Today:
Pray:
Praise the Father that He is holy and above all things.
Give thanks for Jesus who is God with us and has not distanced Himself from us.
Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others know God’s closeness.
Isaiah 7:14
Full Readings: Isaiah 7:10-16, Matthew 1:18-25
It’s the third day of the first week of Advent. A week of hope. A week to reflect on the anticipation of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
Advent is all about liminality (you can look that one up - great word). We attempt to live in two times. We transport our minds and hearts in the years preceding Christ even as we remain firmly rooted in our own moment. Or in this case… three time zones.
I wonder if you have ever had a time when you truly felt like God was far from you. I think most of us have. I can think of two times. Once, I was a teenager, and I had vowed to God that I would never look at pornography again. I broke my vow. God felt a long way away.
Another time. There was conflict in my workplace. The culture had become toxic and to be honest, I was in large part to blame. Both times, it was my sin that caused me to feel far from God. Have you ever felt like that?
Whether it is because of your sins, someone else’s or just the sin and suffering of the world, Isaiah’s prophecy and its fulfilment reminds us that though we distance ourselves from God, He has come to us in Jesus Christ.
Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. Truly with us. He came amongst us in the flesh. He lives with us now through the Holy Spirit. However dark things seem or we seem. If we trust in Jesus, then He is never far but with us.
For Today:
- When was a time you really felt far from God?
- Do you see that He is not far from you?
- Pray for someone who needs to see this today.
Pray:
Praise the Father that He is holy and above all things.
Give thanks for Jesus who is God with us and has not distanced Himself from us.
Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others know God’s closeness.
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