Читать книгу Advent: A Calendar of Devotions 2020 (Pkg of 10) - Jenny Smith - Страница 3

If only you would tear open the heavens and come down!

Mountains would quake before you like fire igniting brushwood or making water boil.

—Isaiah 64:1-2

The author of our text today makes an emboldened plea for God to come close and make things right. We’re reminded of God’s glory and faithfulness and of our very human response to wither like leaves, to wander away, and to ignore the One who created us.

Many journeys begin with this realization: I want to be over there. “Over there” may mean a new state or country. It may mean a new phase in a relationship. Or maybe it’s on the other side of confronting a difficult truth. Either way, we realize that our current situation is not enough, and now we can’t unsee it; we must go.

Advent offers us the opportunity to confront our nature. In the busyness of this season ahead, we intentionally make room for quiet and reflection. We ask new questions. We challenge our assumptions. And to begin this journey, we’re invited to name the awkward truth that we wither, we wander, and we ignore God. A lot. We don’t bother to hold on to God.

Take a moment to gaze upon your life in this season. Where do you feel alive? Celebrate with God. Where are you stuck? Hold on to it with love. Where is your fear extra loud lately? Talk to God about it. You are beginning a journey deeper in God’s love this Advent. Let’s go together!

Closing Prayer: God, I begin this journey with a little unease, a few awkward truths, and an insistent desire to welcome you in my life in a new way. Come close, O God.