May the mumbling commence!
In the world, hope is fading. But as Christians, we have hope. The hope of the Messiah is still alive. Jesus will return.
It was this hope that the people
during Isaiah’s day waited for. We join
them in their waiting. And we say, “Come
soon, Lord Jesus!” Read from the promise
of hope in Isaiah chapter nine:
Nevertheless,
that time of darkness and despair will not
go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will soon be humbled, but there will be a time in
the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs
between the Jordan and the sea, will be
filled with glory. The people who
walk in darkness will see a great light – a
light that will shine on all who live in the land where death casts its shadow. Israel will again be great, and its people
will rejoice as people rejoice at harvest time. They will shout with joy like
warriors dividing the plunder. For God
will break the chains that bind his people and the whip that scourges them,
just as he did when he destroyed the army of Midian with Gideon's little
band. In that day of peace, battle gear will no longer be issued. Never again
will uniforms be bloodstained by war. All such equipment will be burned.
For a child is
born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his
shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His
ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with
fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the Lord Almighty will guarantee this! (Verses 1-7)
A time of glory and light is coming. Can we see it approaching? Sometimes, in the darkness of this old world,
it is plain difficult to see. But it is
coming. And we will be humbled in the
light and glory.
Enemies will be conquered… but not by force. Enemies will be transformed into brothers and
sisters in the Lord. The machinations of
war will be useless trash that will be burned.
Peace will reign because fairness and justice
abound. Without fairness and justice,
there is no peace. And the child has
been born. Jesus will return. He is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…
It is God’s guarantee.
There’s no better guarantee! We
want Jesus to come soon. But we must
wait for the amazing grace and mercy of the Lord to come to completion so that
all our brothers and sisters can join the throng. Read about the fifth seal in Revelation
chapter six:
And when the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the
altar the
souls of all who had been martyred
for the word of God and for being
faithful in their witness.
They
called loudly to the Lord and said, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge
the people who belong to this world for what they have done to us? When
will you avenge our blood against these people?" Then a white robe was given to each of them.
And they were
told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and
sisters – their fellow servants of Jesus – had been martyred. (Verses 9-11)
How long will to be?
When will You avenge? It’s a
desperate plea. We echo it.
But, even as we wait for the mercy and grace of the Lord
to be fulfilled, we receive our white robes of purity. We receive the robes not of our own
worthiness but through the work of Christ.
They are like a down payment and a guarantee of what’s to come. Praise God.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
No comments:
Post a Comment