Advent Devotional  |  December 13, 2020

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” Genesis 15:1

Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” John 8:56-58

Hindsight gives us 20-20 vision. How many times in your life have past events made sense in light of current circumstances? Plenty! Ever catch yourself saying something like, “If I knew this is how it would turn out, I would not have gotten so worked up!” As I’ve reflected on my own life, there were times where, at the moment, I was rather frustrated with my circumstances. Maybe it was a job I had, a relationship I was in, or something that seemed unfair. I can say with certainty that it fueled my frenzy when my thoughts failed to move beyond the small picture. What if all those who came before us, those who trusted God, spent more time complaining about their situations and less time focused on what God planned for the future?

Abraham did not live after Jesus was born as we do today, but he sure lived like it! He did not have access to the entire Bible or see how the Holy Spirit came to rest on people who confessed Jesus as Lord. He was essentially homeless and wandered around for most of his lifetime, but it was the Advent of Jesus that kept him going. That’s right; Abraham saw Jesus. In Genesis 15:1, we see that before the Advent of baby Jesus, He came to Abraham in a vision. God allows people to see enough of the future to alter the present. Abraham demonstrates for us how witnessing the day of Jesus’ Advent before it even came caused him to live a life of faith!

Live today in light of what tomorrow will bring. Jesus was born, and His birth signaled the beginning of His coming Kingdom. What if His followers lived as if they expected Jesus to return at any moment? Imagine what citizens of a Christ-ruled kingdom would look like in our world today. Much of the current debate over recent events would likely not matter, and we’d look a lot more like Abraham did. Be challenged to think about the bigger picture this Advent season. Do not be weighed down by the difficulty of this season when we can rest assured that Christ has come and will come again.

Pastor Dave Mergens