Light- Week 3
Hello, Friend.
It’s hard to believe that we are entering Week 3 of Advent already. Would you join me in grabbing a cup of coffee or tea and finding a quiet space to be still this week?
Invitation
Find a quiet place. Close your eyes. Breathe in and breathe out. God is here
with you in this place. Be still and turn your mind and heart upon Him.
Scripture Reading(s)
As we enter this third week of Advent, I want to invite you to find a quiet
space and read Psalm 40:1-3 Read it a second time, aloud if you can.
If you have the time, read it again a third time, being attentive to what words seem to move you, questions you might have, or thoughts and feelings that the text evokes. Do the same with scriptures below.
Isaiah 9:1-7
John 1:1-15
Matthew 11:25-30
Reflect
“Lord hear my cry
Lift these feet from mud and mire
Lord hear my plea, be the One that steadies me
Be the ground on which I stand, be the vision that I seek
restore hope to this heart, give these lips a melody “
— Jalene Buyer, Wait
This third week of Advent we meditate on Jesus, the Light of the World, and the experience of the psalmist who recounted the deliverance of God in his life. He says:
1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.
As I read these verses, I am drawn deeply into the imagery of the Psalm. Our psalmist is in a place of such deep darkness that there is no getting out on his own. The ground gives way beneath him and there is no foothold available for him to try to push his way up and out into the light. Darkness threatens to overtake him. I can only imagine that he feels like darkness already has.
And so he waits. Patiently, even. (Does it count as patience if you have no other choice but to wait?) Either way, we are told that our psalmist isn’t just waiting for a way up and out, but that he is waiting for God.
Sometimes we can try to claw our way out of seasons of waiting. We can try to kick and scream our way out, sulk our way out, or even try to spiritually manipulate our way out. (Have you ever tried to bargain with God? To pray the right words, or assume that if you just confess a certain sin, or do the right thing that God will have to answer in a specific way? … yeah me too.)
In a personal season of deep darkness, there was a good chunk of that time that I did all of the above. I tried to control anything and everything I could so that I could get out of that season. I tried to self-help my way out, kick and scream my way out, pray my way way out. I tried it all.
The common denominator in all of those scenarios though is that I was fixated on the getting out.
In seasons of waiting and longing, Psalm 40:1-3 shows us another way.
The psalmist wasn’t just waiting for a way out. He was waiting for the LORD. Getting out of whatever dark place we find ourselves in is never the end goal. We will simply end up in another pit at another time.
But - finding ourselves enveloped by Immanuel - God With Us - The light of the World, who dispels all darkness? That is where our hope lies. He is the end goal.
Did you know that Christianity is the only religion in the world in which God does not give humanity a metaphorical ladder in order to try to climb up to reach Him? With all other religions it is by good works, right living, or abiding by a certain code of conduct or practices that allows you to advance up the steps. But if you break a law, misinterpret a command, or stop practicing, its right back down the ladder you go.
But Jesus?
Friend, He tore down the ladder.
He knows that there is nothing we can do to climb it. There are no religious games we can play to try to advance our way to the top. That is why the Word became flesh and dwelled among us. This is why the law that was given to Moses was only making way for the truth and grace that would come through Jesus Christ. The plan was always for God the Son to come in flesh, to make God the Father known to humanity and to draw all people back to Himself. ( See John 1:17-18)
God knows that we cannot climb the ladder, so He came down to us. Like a sunrise that pierces the darkest night, Jesus, in whom life in all its fulness dwells, broke down the barrier between God and man, and shone forth a light that darkness will never overcome. (See John 1:5)
Sweet friend, the psalmist cried out and waited for the Lord.
And God?
God turned towards the psalmist and heard his cry.
He lifted his feet out of the mud and mire.
Where the ground gave way underneath him, God placed this man upon solid ground.
Where only a cry was heard, God gave this man a new song of praise to sing.
This is what happens when Light pierces the dark.
When God moves in, He moves us. He moves us out of darkness and envelops us in His light. He moves the position of our feet and our hearts. He changes the course of our words and our lives.
Respond
Take a few moments to be present. What thoughts and feelings do you have after today’s scripture reading and reflection? What might God be speaking to you?
Where in your life do you feel like you need the Lord to lift you from a dark pit?
Have you been anxiously seeking to get out of a pit, or waiting for God?
If you follow the example of our Psalmist, what might that shift look like in your life?
This week, take some time to dive deep into these questions. Meditate on the scripture readings above. Journal and pray about Jesus as the Light in our darkness. Invite Him to speak and to move in your life.
Pray
Thank You Jesus that you are the Light that pierces the darkness. Thank You that You have come as a light into this dark world and that the darkness will never overcome.
Thank You that when You entered into humanity all those Christmas’s ago, that like a sunrise, light began to break through the night, and one day the sun will rise fully and all darkness will be dispelled.
As we live in this place of twilight, between night and day, Lord, give us hearts that long for You, help us to place our hope fully in all You have done and all You will do, and clothe us in the light of Your presence. Amen.
