Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Wednesday November 30, 2016 Forevermore!

He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121:3-8 NIV

Are you tired of waiting? Tired of watching? Has that light of hope that once burned bright begun to flicker? Have you lost sighted it completely? Has sadness crept in? Know this: you are not alone! For many, many people, this holiday time is a time of internal struggle.  It is a good bet that all of God's children have felt deep sorrow at one point or another. In fact, even Jesus knew soul wrenching sorrow: Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." (Matthew 26:38 NIV). But hear this good news: more than the fact that we are not alone in our suffering because others suffer as well, this psalm reminds us that although we may tire and fail to keep watch, our God never does. The psalmist tells us He neither slumbers nor sleeps. The promise here is that He watches now and He will watch for all eternity. The key to unlock that promise? Jesus Christ, who we are told is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us (Romans 8:34). This same God who watches over us and promises to do so forevermore, is joined in the Godhead by the very One we are watching for. Jesus who was not just fully God, but was a fully human person. Jesus who knows and feels and understands our every sorrow, because He too experienced earthly sorrow, sits at the right hand of God and pleads for us to the One who has promised to Never. Stop. Watching. Ever! This is a promise to lay hold of and sustain us as we watch.  Hallelujah!

Prayer
Eternal God, eternity...forevermore, is a difficult concept for our human minds to conceive of yet that is precisely what you have promised: to watch over us forevermore. And even more than that, through Jesus Christ, You have opened the gates of heaven and invited us to join You forevermore. Thank You Jesus that such a thing is even possible!  Remind us of this great Good News, even as we struggle to focus and keep watch during this special season of Advent. We ask in Your precious name. AMEN!

No comments: