“God’s Steadfast Love”
God is committed to us. His love is steadfast, not because we love Him in return, but because of His character. And He proved this love by sending Jesus. This is what we celebrate this week – God’s steadfast love!
Archives: Devotionals
“How Long, O Lord”
We’ve focused a lot on joy this week and how it’s not tied to our feelings or circumstances but rather what we are paying attention to. But let’s be real, sometimes our current reality just sucks. It’s difficult to pay attention to God and feel His presence when we and those around us may be suffering. There is no scarcity of pain in our world and it can be easier to try and distract ourselves to avoid those feelings of hurt and brokenness. We may even begin to wonder where God is.
But like David in today’s Psalm reading, we do not need to ignore those feelings or try to put on a brave face for others, or God. We can bring those questions to Him. We then need to turn our focus to what God has already done and trust that His steadfast love will never forsake us! By shifting our attention to Him, Joy is sparked in our hearts once again. As we’ve learned, our joy is not found in our emotions or circumstances but in God’s faithful promise that Jesus will one day return and all will be made right!
“This is Love”
The defining characteristic of God is love. God is love, it is who He is, not just what He has. Him having “steadfast love” (chesed) means that He will be faithful to His promises with tenderness, compassion, mercy, and care because it is His very nature to be that way. This is not just a statement that gets repeated over and over in Scripture without proof. Jesus is the proof that God loves us enough to do the hard part – take care of our sins. Jesus is the evidence of God’s steadfast love.
There may be times where you are unsure how God sees you. No matter what you have been told, or what you are feeling right now, the life of Jesus is proof that God loves you and wants you to know Him. This season of Advent is about paying enough attention to Jesus that we can see God’s steadfast love revealed through Him. Recognizing this love comes with a calling though: to love one another. Just like God revealed His love to us in Jesus, so we are to reveal that same love to each other.
In the season of giving and celebration, let’s remember what this is all anchored in. Celebrating Advent that leads us to Christmas is about being amazed by the birth and life of Jesus that transforms us to be people who show that same love to those around us. May we be the people who reveal God’s love to a dark and hurting world.
“Light Shines in the Darkness”
Have you ever been in a situation where there is complete darkness? You most likely get nervous or afraid and reach out your hands to grab hold of something solid. This is often the state of our world: darkness. But the life of Jesus is described as light, light that shines in the darkness. The life of Jesus is a light more powerful than any darkness and darkness cannot overcome it.
You may feel like your life is in a season of darkness. Maybe you’re anxious or afraid, groping around trying to find something solid. Let Jesus be the light that shines in that darkness. His life is proof that God does not stand apart from the darkness of the world, but has entered directly into it. God loves us so much that He entered the world in the person of Jesus to reveal His steadfast love. During this season let us remember that God is still present with us, and the life of Jesus shines like a beacon to us even if it feels like we are in the dark.
“Shout for Joy”
In today’s reading, the angel that announced the good news of great joy is joined with a “multitude of the heavenly host” who praised God together saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” What a moment in history! The angelic host bringing the songs and praise of heaven to earth, celebrating that God has participated in the brokenness of humanity by coming as a baby, born in a stable among the animals.
There is so much we can point to in the world and be angry or afraid. There is so much we can despair and lament over, so much brokenness, so much darkness. The temptation during this season is to seek distraction from such brokenness and pretend to be happy with fabricated feelings. This is not what it means to be a follower of Jesus, to pretend and fake it. Yet we do not have to be overcome by anger or fear or despair. How do we live with joy when life is so painful? How can we avoid being overcome by it or pretending our way through it?
We remember that God has come into our broken world and fully participated in our brokenness through Jesus. His coming into the world was celebrated by the angelic host, not because everything got instantly better, but because they knew God was at work to heal our brokenness. We are invited to join in the song and celebration. We can shout for joy, not because we feel like it, not because everything becomes instantly better, but because we can trust God. He has worked in the past, He will come again to make all things right, and He is at work now, despite what we can see or feel. We can trust His steadfast love and that makes us have joy, even in brokenness.
“Your God Reigns”
Isaiah 52 is set in a time where the city of Jerusalem had been invaded by the Babylonians, their Temple was destroyed and many had been taken into exile. Those that remained in Jerusalem were in a state of confusion and despair – “What just happened?” The poem in Isaiah depicts a messenger running over the mountains to these broken and hopeless people bringing “good news,” news that will bring peace (shalom), happiness, joy, and salvation. What’s the beautiful message? “Your God reigns.”
When we look out into the world and see the brokenness and despair, the anger and fear, we may wonder how God is working, or if He is even at work at all. When we look at our own lives, we may wonder the same thing. And yet, there is a beautiful message, “Your God reigns.” This is what makes the first advent of Christ so incredible, and it was announced as “good news” that brings “great joy.” What we see in the birth of Christ, that we celebrate at Christmas, is that God had been at work all along, despite what anyone could see. Through Jesus, we see God is in charge. Despite what we see in our world today, despite the circumstances of our lives, there is a beautiful message that has been sent to us that should cause great joy, “Our God reigns.”
“Good News of Great Joy”
Imagine being in a waiting room at a hospital, together with friends and family, waiting and praying as the surgeon walks out from doing the surgery of a family member and says, “I’ve got good news for you…”. You most likely would feel a sense of relief and then a rush of joy. That good news that brings great joy, is akin to the announcement the angel gave the shepherds.
Israel had spent many centuries waiting and hoping for the coming Messiah, the savior king that would come and liberate God’s people from their sin and oppression. After waiting for such a long time, it’s safe to think many had given up hope. But one night, out in the country, the angel gave a great announcement, “Good news!” The good news was God had not forgotten His people, He had sent a Savior. This good news caused great joy!
The good news still echos into our lives today. God has not forgotten us. He sent His Son into this world as a Savior for us. No matter our circumstances, we can still have joy, knowing that God has not forgotten us. We can still receive this good news with great joy, that we have a Savior, born for us – He is Christ the Lord.
“Comfort and Joy”
As we turn our focus to Joy this week, remember that our joy is not based on emotions or circumstances but comes from the peace we have knowing God is faithful to His word. Take a moment to nurture your peace by meditating on the personal promises God has given you and let your joy be refreshed!
“Be it Unto Me”
With God all things are possible, and those who trust and wait on Him patiently have true Shalom, true peace! Mary trusted in God and responded to what seemed to be the impossible with “Be it unto me according to your word.” As this week comes to a close, continue placing your trust in the one that is true to His word. Keep humbling yourself and relinquishing the need for control, so that you may live with abundant peace.
“Don’t Be Anxious”
There is a great struggle for humans with fear and anxiety. In America, as well as other Western nations, there is a significant rise in depression and mental illness. We seem to be struggling with how we deal with life’s hardships and uncertainties. Yet we are admonished as Christians to not be anxious. How are we to do this?
Paul, in Philippians 4, gives us a simple process for not being anxious: pray, be thankful, and trust God. When we continually bring our needs and hopes and struggles before the Lord in prayer, we learn to trust Him with our lives. Yesterday we read about God being at work, with the humble benefiting the most from His activity. Today, we learn to become humble by recognizing we cannot control everything, but we can trust the One who is in control. As we learn to pray and yield to the Lord, there is a promise of peace. This peace, that is from God, is not something that we can figure out. But even if we can’t fully understand it, we can experience it. This peace guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Today, let’s humble ourselves in prayer, releasing all of our pains and struggles into God’s hands, being grateful for His work, and receiving His peace. This is what it means to “bless the Lord.” Psalm 103 is a psalm of praise for all that God has done. Slowly pray these verses, speaking God’s promises and character over your life today. Learning to pray this in humility allows for God’s peace to guard your heart and mind from anxiety even in the midst of difficult circumstances.