Advent, Day 12

LONGING FOR LIGHT

God’s people waited. They longed. They searched the words of the Scripture for hints about the promised deliverer. There were hints all over the place. The prophet Samuel suggested God would raise up a new eternal priest (1 Samuel 2:35). The prophet Micah spoke of a ruler arising out of Bethlehem, “whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2). The prophet Isaiah spoke of a virgin conceiving and bearing a son named Emmanuel, a name that meant “God with us”.

Taken together, the hints painted the picture of a priestly ruler who would be born from a virgin within Bethlehem and have a ministry stretching into eternity. He would not just be a priest—he somehow would be “God with us”.

The prophet Isaiah went on to describe how death would be swallowed up forever, and that sadness itself would end (Isaiah 25:7-8). The deliverer would rescue the poor, the brokenhearted, the captives, and prisoners (Isaiah 61:1). God’s promises grew and stretched until they achieved cosmic proportions. Was God really going to change the fundamental nature of reality? It seemed so! Death would end, the poor would be elevated, and sadness would fade from memory.

These promises led Judah to a choice—one we still face today. Which reality would they live in? The reality visible around them, or the reality revealed by God, visible only by faith in his promises. Would they live in the story of gloom enshrouding them on all sides—a story of fighting for scraps with weaponized power? Or would they live in a bigger story—a rags-to-riches love story—a story where God’s deliverance was inbound and ready to flip power upside down? The answer may seem obvious, but it was difficult for people to see through the gloom. They were like orphans holding scraps of food, ushered into a palace of light, but told at the door to leave their moldy scraps behind before they could enter. For an orphan who has only ever known struggle, it must be terrifying to release precious scraps, even on the promise of a palace. For many, God’s promises seemed too good to be true, and their scraps were real.

For centuries, every Israelite had to decide for herself which story to live in. Was she living in a dark story—a sinking ship? Or was she living in the slowly unfolding story of a good God’s rescue mission? The first story must have seemed to match the reality of her daily struggle—God’s promises were great, but thousands of years delayed. A few people trusted God enough to frame their whole lives within his story, but most dismissed God’s claims as bluster, bravado, or musing too ancient to take seriously.

But as we know, God’s claims were not bluster or bravado. God was incredibly patient and not in a rush to defend himself. He had priorities and plans that were many dimensions deeper than the people’s unbelief. From heaven, God was perfectly setting the stage. The true story of his deliverance would soon be revealed. And when it came, it would change everything. All the long millennia of waiting would be like the opening cut-scene before the real story begins.

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
“‘My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.
– Ezekiel 37:24–27

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
– Do you relate to this tension over which story to live in? If you really understand yourself to be living in God’s story, how does that change the way you live?
– Do you relate to the picture of an orphan invited into the palace but told to let go of scraps? What do you think the scraps are a reference to? What scraps are you tempted to cling to?
– How can you become more aware of God’s story in your daily life? How can you live out of your identity as God’s child, rather than as an orphan?

PRAYER
Lord God, you are so generous and good. You have given unbelievably incredible promises. But if we’re honest, they are hard to believe. We are so much like the Israelites—we struggle to walk in faith. There are so many things vying for our attention. Help us to see the treasure you above all else. Help us to believe you and release the scraps we cling to. Help us see your worth. Thank you for your patience with us and for helping us! Amen.