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Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you.
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Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher.
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And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
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Then you will defile your silver-covered idols and your gold-plated images. You will scatter them like filthy rags; you will say to them, "Away with you!"
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He will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and grain, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. On that day your cattle will graze in broad pastures;
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and the oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat silage, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork.
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On every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water - on a day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
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Moreover the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven-fold, like the light of seven days, on the day when the Lord binds up the injuries of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.
--Isaiah 30:19-26
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In this year of drought, with farm fields laying brown with dust and crops suffering throughout the South and Midwest, Isaiah 30:19-26 tells us that the Lord is compassionate, and when you cry to him for help, he will answer you. He said if you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, "Here is the road. Follow it." The moon will be as bright as the sun and the sun will be seven times brighter than usual. This will all happen when the Lord bandages and heals the wounds he has given his people.
We do feel wounded. As I write, the weather is uncertain with lack of rain and the Santa Ana winds spreading fire. The political divide is so deep and ugly, and the guns continue to blaze in our land, killing innocents. We feel so helpless to effect change.
The season of Advent proclaims its promise of hope and our yearning for the arrival of a healing Savior who will lift us up and gives us guidance. Paul, in Acts 13:16-25, tells the new Christians in Antioch about John the Baptist who proclaims the coming of the Messiah and assures us about the future. He tells them that it is Jesus, a descendant of David whom God made the Savior of the people of Israel as he had promised, who is coming after him, and John says, "I am not good enough to take his sandals off his feet."
We hold our heads high in anticipation of the coming of the healing Christ.
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Prayer:
Lord, as we await the birth of your precious Son, Jesus, hear our cries. Turn our tear-filled eyes and frustrated hearts to Him, that we may hold tight to your promises of healing. Amen.
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