12 Days of Anticipation: Day 3 The Yearning of Mankind

Day 3- The yearning of mankind

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "O Come O Come Emmanuel" because it sets the tone and the stage for Jesus' birth.

O Come, O come Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appears.
Rejoice, rejoice!
Emmanuel, shall come to thee O Israel.

The people of Israel were waiting, anticipating, stuck in a sacrificial system that was a poor connection with God. They had heard prophesies from countless godly men throughout the centuries promising a Savior. The night is always darkest just before the dawn, and so it was for Israel. The Bible is silent for 400 years between the Old and New Testament. Israel is no longer the conquering nation led by God. They have been conquered. The prophets had warned them about what would happen if they turned from God, but the people chose to disobey. God had said all that He could say, and all that was left was silence. And the people waited as exiles, away from their home, away from their customs, away from their places of worship, and away from God. They waited for their Savior with all that you can have left in the silence- faith.

Have you ever felt that God is being silent?
Think of something or a specific time in your life brought you to a place so low that your hope could only come from a Savior.
Are you able to rejoice and continue in faith even in the silence and struggle or does your heart begin to turn bitter and hard?

Matthew 5:3 says "Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for they will inherit the kingdom of God." You see, when we are weak, He is our strength. Even in the times of silence He has not forsaken us or left our side. Rather, He is preparing and humbling our hearts to accept the gift that He has for us...

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