Advent Meditation: Redeemer

y. Sometimes, God Who knows and understands our weakness and woe, does not deliver us from our pain, but rather delivers us through our pain.

Advent Meditation: Almighty God

In her jubilation, Hannah employed a well-known symbol of triumph of her dayโ€”the call of the shofar proclaiming military victory and release from oppression.

Hannah’s Prayer and Zechariah’s Prophecy

The first part of this devotional pairs Hannahโ€™s prayer (mother of the prophet Samuel, who anointed King David) with Zechariahโ€™s prophecy (father of John the Baptist, who heralded and baptized Messiah Jesus)

December Advent Devotional

As you and I meditate on these words, let us think about the names all heaven and earth gave to this tiny, vulnerable baby, Who is God the Son.

Happy Thanksgiving

The invitation to feast with God is there, every year, but I think the feasting, and Godโ€™s desire to gladden our hearts, and by the way, Godโ€™s anticipation of being gladdenedโ€”being blessedโ€”by us goes beyond just thanking God for all the things that feel good.

“Out of a Far Country”

Whether you or I agree with how Christopher Yuan has made sense of who he is in the Lord, and how he interprets Godโ€™s call on his life, the bottom line for us all is to trust that God is loving enough, wise enough, powerful enough, and expansive enough to guide each of us into all truth, to Godโ€™s glory, and for our good.

Isaiah 26: The Dead Shall Rise

Perhaps praying about the two paths drew Isaiahโ€™s mind to the kings of Israel and Judah, for they represented those pathsโ€”the road of righteousness and the way of the wicked.

Isaiah 26: A Steadfast Mind

As Isaiah continued to gaze into the far future, he saw a strong city that stood in contrast to the ruined city he had seen in his previous vision.

Revelation 7: Meaning of the Multitude

After so many disturbing images from the breaking of the seals, John was now swept up in a rapturous time of praise and thanksgiving, as the mighty multitude, the elders, all the angels, and the four living creatures exalted God, singing,

Revelation 7: The Mighty Multitude

It is the final act of the sixth scroll, just as the sixth day of Creation had a final, climactic act of bringing forth humankind and blessing all that lived across the face of the earth. Imagine the two scenes side-by-side: