The Peace We Long For: Advent in Disorienting Times | Day 18

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God

Psalm 42:11, Psalm 42; Matthew 8:14-17, 28-34

As we get ready for Christmas, it is very easy to focus on one event: the birth of Christ. I get it. It’s the main thing. It’s the centerpiece of the nativity scene in your family's living spaces or Advent calendar background. The birth of Christ is the main thing. THAT SAID, we should also keep what happens next in the foreground.

The miracle isn’t the fact that Jesus was born but of what he symbolized: God in human form, bringing God’s kingdom. 

I think we see this in both passages of this devotional. In Matthew, we see Jesus as a restorer - healing the sick by merely touching people or commanding demons to come out of people. These actions haven’t been done or seen by anyone before. We see this same restoration character in Psalms 42. God serves as a place of rest and comfort for our downtrodden souls, a sounding board for our questions when we feel God has forgotten us. It is not merely enough to celebrate the birth, but we should also celebrate what this birth meant and how God’s kingdom came down to Earth to bring about abundant life.  

Additionally, this calls us to examine the areas God is restoring in our lives. Sometimes it’s something we can see, like the healing of an illness or the driving out of a demon.

Other times, it can be a bit challenging, walking through the sadness the holidays may bring, or asking questions of God and not hearing back in a “timely” manner. Yet we know that God is a God of restoration and healing. Whatever you need to bring to God, bring it and know that God is listening and will answer. 

“Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Ps 42: 11)

Prayer: God, may you restore the areas of my life where I have questions and call out for you. May I see glimpses and bring about your kingdom here on Earth. Remind me that you are listening and near. Amen.