She Reads Truth: EmmanuelSample

Reflection

The birth of John the Baptist is one of my favorite parts of Scripture. It reads like an amalgam of so many wonderful stories.

It has a hint of the story of Sarah and Abraham, as Elizabeth and Zechariah are also an elderly, barren couple. It has the feel the divine revelation Mary would have with her pregnancy with Jesus. There is even a run-in with the royal family, when newly pregnant Mary comes for some mentoring from the very pregnant Elizabeth. Scripture says John the Baptist leapt in Elizabeth’s womb at the nearness of the Lord, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

God was up to some incredible things. Those times of waiting were full of unknowns, yet held a palpable excitement. Waiting always carries tension. I would imagine that Elizabeth (and Mary) went to their Father many times a day, asking for the strength to remain faithful, the eyes to see the miracle, and the heart to bear the responsibility of stewarding His good gifts.

Think of times of waiting and tension in your own life, times when you don’t know what God is orchestrating in your life. In those times of the in-between, are you not drawn closer to God because He is the only sure thing?

He is sure and certain, in times of waiting and tension, excitement and expectation. We can rest confidently in His goodness and nearness.

Prayer

God, give us strength to remain faithful, eyes to see the miracle of Jesus’s birth, and the heart to bear the responsibility of stewarding the good gifts you’ve given us. Help us draw near to you in our waiting, our excitement, and our expectation. Amen.

Advent Action

When you find yourself waiting at different times today - for the car to warm up, the oven timer to ding, the kids to fall asleep, the red light to turn green - think on Christ. Do not reach for your phone, do not jot down a list. Simply sit in the tension of the waiting and know that He is good.

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