Inside us is a longing we cannot name: ragged around the edges, tender, gaping, a source of restlessness. Seeking, constantly seeking, we strive to satisfy this unknown longing. As if to fill a hole, we often try to fill it with something earthly. But we soon find that not food, not work, not drink, not travel, not sports, not online stimuli, not even our most precious human relationships can satisfy that longing, for it is as deep as eternity. That longing was put inside us for a reason.

And so we turn to You, Lord, finally admitting that You are what we yearn for, and that only You can fill that gaping hole inside us. It is You we seek, and it has always been so; we are born with a God-sized inner longing. This Advent, let us intensify our seeking for You, spending more time reading Your word, praising You, praying in silence and feeling Your presence. What would happen if we try to spend as much time during Advent praying as we do checking our phones? What would happen if we constantly unplug ourselves from outside stimuli and distractions for a set period of time each day? Ten minutes? Fifteen? More?

Being in communion with You is the cure for our restless longing. Then, and then only, can we feel that inner longing diminish, as if You are sending us a clear message to be of good cheer, for Your kingdom is near. What relief we feel, as if something deep inside us has been put right. It is palpable and persistent; it sustains us during times of darkness.

The relief You provide is the solace that comes from a healing of the soul. It is the gratitude that comes from trust in the Healer; it is the calmness that comes from reaching a desired refuge; it is the closeness that comes from feeling fully loved.

During Advent, this relief is also the joy that comes from knowing that You, our heavenly Father, are about to give us the supreme gift that will satisfy all our longing: a human Child, God incarnate. The Christmas story is brand new every year, and by its telling and retelling we know that our deepest longing will soon be fully satisfied by a tiny infant lying in a manger. Come, Lord Jesus.

God bless you!

Peggy