Pause: Isaiah 9:1-7, John 18:36, Revelations 1:5-6
When my kids were little, we made many trips to Portland to see the grandparents. Up and down I-5 again and again meant hours in the car. To pass the time, my husband and I often listened to The History of Rome podcast, which kept us occupied and put the kids to sleep with the podcaster’s soothing voice. On our trips, we ended up listening to all 179 episodes about the rise and fall of the different caesars’ households and eventually the fall of Rome itself. What struck me about the transition of power between rulers was that it often happened slowly and quietly with the aspiring leader gathering his followers and training them as they waited for just the right time to make their move and seize power. When the podcaster would describe the rule of a leader, he would often refer back to the start of his reign — not when he took the throne but when he started gathering and organizing his followers.
When we read in Isaiah about Christ our King, He comes as a child. He does not ride into town on a horse wielding a sword, taking over earthly oppressors. Instead He comes quietly, asking for us to follow Him. As we do, He becomes our Wonderful Counselor, guiding our steps and comforting us; our Almighty God, displaying His power in the hearts and lives of those who follow Him; our Everlasting Father, reminding us of His love and faithfulness from the beginning; and our Prince of Peace, reconciling us to Himself by His blood shed on the cross. As His followers, we now wait for Him to come again in full display of His power when the time is right. In the meantime, we continue to follow Him, trusting that His timing is perfect and He will come again in full glory to reign as our King.
Ponder: What are you waiting for during this season? Often we think of waiting as passive, yet waiting can be active too. As we celebrate Christ’s first coming, how do we actively wait for His second coming?
Pray: Father, I come before You, my King, with a heart of praise. I stand in awe of You as Almighty God, the One who came down in the flesh to call me to follow You and to give me a role in building Your kingdom. I await Your second coming and the consummation of Your rule and reign on this earth. May I use my waiting time wisely to remember and to proclaim the good news that Your Kingdom is coming. Amen.
— Jamie Harms