1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Questions for Reflection:
Has God led you through a season of waiting in your life? And if so... what work or stuff did He prepare for you to do through that season?
Take a little time to hear Part 1, Scene 1 of Handel's Messiah... Link is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bocv0TAym0A
Prayer of the Week:
My dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to you now to be restored in you, renewed in you, to receive your life and your love and all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day. I honor you as my Lord, and I surrender every aspect and dimension of my life to you. I give you my spirit, soul, and body, my heart, mind, and will. I cover myself with your blood—my spirit, soul, and body, my heart, mind, and will. I ask your Holy Spirit to restore me in you, renew me in you, and lead this time of prayer.
Heavenly Father I pray that I am able to see clearly my place in your story as a dearly beloved child. You have given me all that I need for salvation and life in you and in your kingdom. And yet you desire me to be a participant in your kingdom and to join you in your mission to bring all things back to you. I get to do this! Holy Spirit guide me and direct me as I seek to follow you.
Jesus through waiting I pray that you give me opportunities to grow and mature in my faith. Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Jesus through waiting give me a deeper desire for you. I long for you to return and bring all things into new creation! I want more of you Jesus, fill me to overflowing with your life and your love.
Jesus through waiting I ask for more of your presence. I want to know you more. I want to spend all my day in side-by-side friendship with you. Jesus I renounce anything that is creating distance between us. (At this time feel free to spend a few moments confessing anything that rises to the top of your heart.)
Jesus I am excited to see what you can do today. I know you can do amazing things, and I would love to be a part of them. I am waiting for your cue.
Amen.
