The four Sundays in Advent provide us the blessing of reflection, of patience, of waiting for the Lord.
Following is another reflection from Trinity School for Ministry 2019 Advent Devotional.
“Out of the mouths of babies and infants you have established strength, because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger” (Psalm 8:2).
While I have read Psalm 8 many times before, I don’t think that the above verse has ever struck me in the same way previously. I have gotten caught up in the recitation about God’s name and God’s power and God’s designation of humankind as his stewards over the rest of creation. I have completely missed the part that God has given his strength “out of the mouths of babies and infants” to “still the enemy and the avenger.” God works through even those who cannot express themselves clearly in language, and those who need to rely on adults for care, to defeat the enemy.
This spoke to me as one of our sons is five and cannot clearly speak more than a handful of words. It is amazing to think that God can use my son’s voice to defeat the enemy—that even though humans may not be able to understand his communication, that God still can, and so can God’s foes. While we humans may be limited by our capacity to communicate clearly, God is not limited in the same way. The spiritual world is not reliant on verbal communication.
I am reminded of two examples from the New Testament. The first example is of the Spirit who intercedes for us with “groanings too deep for words” (Rom 8:26). The Holy Spirit does not need words to communicate on our behalf.
The second example is of an infant, who came in the flesh, and in the flesh, defeated his enemy. This infant is of course God himself, the Son of God, Jesus, who came to earth and defeated the ultimate enemy in the most definitive way. God used, and uses, the weak and foolish things of the world to accomplish his purposes.
Dear Jesus, thank you that you are not limited by our human frailties and limitations. Thank you for taking on these human frailties and limitations when you came to earth as a baby. Thank you for using us weak human beings to accomplish your purposes in the world, even to defeat your enemies. Amen.
Susanah (Wilson) Hanson (MAR 2004)
Library Director, Director of the MAR Program
Trinity School for Ministry
Ambridge, PA
