Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Journey to Bethlehem: An Advent Challenge

Day 2: Read Isaiah 9:2-7

A New Day Is Coming

Isaiah 9 speaks of the hardship of the people. The people live in darkness, they are suffering, and have carried a heavy load, but this will not always be their circumstances. The people will see a great light and will no longer live in darkness. This light will cause the people to grow happy and they will show God their happiness, like the joy during harvest time. The people will be joyous like people that have won a war and have taken their spoils. God will have taken away their heavy load and the rod that the enemy used to punish them. The clothing of war will be thrown into the fire because of the birth of a child. God gave His people a son, who will be responsible for their leadership. He will be known as Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, and Prince of Peace. Power and peace will be with His kingdom always. He will rule with justice and goodness, making it strong, forever. God will do this because of His strong love for His people.

The people lived in darkness. This is no less true today than it was in Isaiah's time. We live in darkness. Today, there was a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California that left 14 dead and 17 more injured. Two, possibly three, people were responsible for this senseless tragedy that may have been the result of workplace drama. Darkness. Outside of California there is more darkness. There are burglaries being planned and committed, people being murdered, and terrorist plots being thought up. Darkness. Everywhere you look, certainly on every news channel, there is darkness. We live in darkness. Humans carry a heavy load and the enemy uses our burdens to punish us mercilessly. Our lives are not joyous, but there is hope.

In the darkness there is light. God has given us Jesus, a son that will free us from the darkness, and we have seen the light. In the light there is hope and we are joyous. We turn our eyes to heaven and give thanks to God for Jesus, our light in the darkness. We have not seen the end of war, but we can rest in the knowledge that the war will end in victory. Jesus has won and He will rule forever. His name will be Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace. Justice and goodness will be ours because God's love for us is so strong. We do not deserve to see the light, we deserve the heaviness of darkness, but God loved us so much that He sent His son to us that we would see the light. In the light there is joy, in the light there is hope, and in the light there is victory. 

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