My wife and I are about to celebrate our first year anniversary. We got married in September of 2021 after doing a year of long distance. About 1000 miles separated us and we could barely see each other in person. When we got married, we eloped. We didn’t tell anyone, we took a trip and got married with the hope of one day having an official wedding. It’s almost been a year and we have yet to have an official wedding ceremony, yet we look forward to that day. We live in expectation of that day. That causes us to adjust our lifestyle today for what we are looking forward to in the future. We restrict ourselves and our budget to be able to save in preparation for our wedding ceremony.

Our reading today of Isaiah is an expectation of the day of the Lord. There is a longing for the Lord to come and for the New Jerusalem to be established. In Isaiah, it is prophesied what will happen on that day. All things will be made right and there will be no more sickness, no more injustice, no more inequity. Judgment will come upon the Earth and those who believe in the Lord will be raised up and saved. The Earth will be renewed and a reign of peace will be established. In the meantime, as Isaiah proclaims, we long for that day knowing the season that we are in will end.

We live according to the hope of what’s to come. In the same way, as we adjust our lifestyle today to save up for a wedding or for a trip happening tomorrow, we live our lives adjusting today in expectation of the coming of the Lord. We don’t just sit around and wait for God to decide it’s the right time, we are in preparation. The hope of the coming of the King should encourage us, it should strengthen us, and it should lead us to pursue holiness even more in this season. I love how our reading for today ends. Isaiah 28:28 “Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever. The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it, but one does not use horses to grind grain.” It is encouraging us that the season we're in will end, but there’s a job to be done in this season. There are seeds to plant for the coming of the Lord is getting near.