Our Worship
Yesterday, we focused on listening for the dim voice in the distance. Today, let’s worship through attentive listening. Allow God to speak to you personally today. You might consider journaling what you hear.
Psalm 85:8-13 Common English Bible (CEB)
8 Let me hear what the Lord God says,
because he speaks peace to his people and to his faithful ones.
Don’t let them return to foolish ways.
Our Longings
- What are you bringing to this prayerful time with God today (worries, hopes, fears, etc.)?
- As we now move into our second week, start to bring before God your deepest desire. What are you most hoping for when He comes? Why do you desire this? What does God think about it?
Allow yourself whatever time is necessary here in prayer to get in touch with this deep longing of your soul while allowing God to speak.
Scripture
2 Peter 3:8-15 Common English Bible (CEB)
8 Don?t let it escape your notice, dear friends, that with the Lord a single day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a single day. 9 The Lord isn’t slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their hearts and lives. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will pass away with a dreadful noise, the elements will be consumed by fire, and the earth and all the works done on it will be exposed.
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be? You must live holy and godly lives, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming day of God. Because of that day, the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt away in the flames.13 But according to his promise we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.
Preparing for Christ’s coming in judgment
14 Therefore, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found by him in peace pure and faultless. 15 Consider the patience of our Lord to be salvation, just as our dear friend and brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him,
Our Meditation
Don’t miss God’s patience
Through our Advent reflections, we’ve been focused on our waiting.
But God waits, too.
And He doesn’t want us to miss this. Why?
God is patient with us because He wants us to not miss what is really going on with his coming Kingdom. He’s patient because He wants us to take our eyes off of this Kingdom and put them on His.
Don’t let this escape your notice
There will come a day when the heavens will pass away with an awful sound. I imagine those whose eyes were still on this kingdom, whose hopes were in this world, will be startled awake with sudden and gut-wrenching recognition of misplaced hopes.
Have you ever had that sinking feeling when you’ve gotten something very important all wrong and you know it, and at the same time, you know there’s nothing you can do about it?
Those are times we stand exposed (verse 10).
What should I notice?
I have to ask myself where am I looking for this King to come this Advent season? When I pray, what am I praying for?
When I pray for God to move, am I upset He doesn’t move quickly enough to answer my prayers because what I’m praying for will bring this Kingdom into more fullness, or am I angered by His inaction because what I’m praying for will improve a little slice of my world?
Ouch.
If it’s the latter, today I’m super thankful God is patient.
What looks like inaction is often God’s mercy camouflaged as patience.
What looks like inaction is often God waiting for me to turn to Him.
If we can just get this right, if we can just come to the place of hearing God’s voice (Psalm 85:8), we can learn to live lives of trust in our coming King.
- Where is God being patient with you?
- What is your response to this mercy?
Intercession
Today, pray Psalm 85:8 over each member of your family. Ask Him to speak peace to those you love most deeply and that they would hear.
A Closing Prayer
Lord God,
Forgive me for my impatience regarding your patience in mercifully waiting for me to finally see what you are doing.
Amen.
This Evening and Tomorrow Morning
- This evening, continue again to worship through Psalm 80:3 as a personal prayer. Return to this often over this Advent season.
- Tomorrow morning, continue praying Psalm 85:8 over your family. Consider specific areas in their lives where they need to hear words of peace from the Lord.
Scriptures from Our Advent Series
Texts for First Advent Week:?Isaiah 64:1-9; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37; Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18
Texts for Second Advent Week: Isaiah 40:1-11; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; Mark 1:1-8
