“They say, ‘A deadly thing is poured out on him; he will not rise again from where he lies’” (Psalm 41:8).
“But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations” (Isaiah 9:1).
The life of faith, in large part, is the formation of perspective. God’s people stand under the ominous shadow of a great empire. It is night. Anguish swells in our hearts, animates our thoughts, spills over into wordless, desperate surrender to God (Romans 8:26). In our world, everything is downward trending. If it’s not out to get us, then it’s because we’re useful. When we’re done being useful, it’ll be out to get us (Psalm 41:9). In one way or another, we’re contorted, used, and then discarded. Indeed, our world is a fundamentally hostile place.
However, the world is God’s—it’s the place where God is doing something, the place to which he’s coming. The psalmist writes, “Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him; the Lord protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies” (Psalm 41:1-2). The will of our enemies won’t take the day, because God’s will does. And God’s will is his people’s victory (Revelation 3:21). As the apostle Peter has it, “he has granted to us his precious and very great promises” (2 Peter 1:4; if one keeps reading that passage, one finds that the promises are very great). These promises pertain to God’s future, where the voice who calls God’s people arrives, God’s “own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3), Immanuel who they signify and portend (Isaiah 8:16-18). However, on the way, in the distance between, those without hope “will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God” (Isaiah 8:21) and “they will be thrust into thick darkness” (Isaiah 8:22).
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus withdraws to the Mount of Olives with his disciples to pray. There we have an infamous scene: Jesus asks his Father to “remove this cup” (Luke 22:41), praying with such intensity that “his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44). It’s important to recognize where Jesus’ “agony” takes place. It takes place in prayer, in surrender to the will of the Father. In fact, Christ’s surrender, his active abiding in the Father’s will, brackets his request. He says, “if you are willing” and “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). He doesn’t concede God’s promises, God’s future. He embraces it and prophesies it (Luke 22:69).
Today, I’d ask you to keep perspective. Don’t just keep any perspective. Bind yourself to the coming Christ’s perspective. The Lord’s future Kingdom is at hand. It’s coming, even with hidden face (Isaiah 8:17). Don’t waver from the path. Rather, “make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love” (2 Peter 1:5-7). This is Christ’s perspective. It’s the place where he stands. It’s the shape of his life. And, by the divine power at work in us, it can be ours too (2 Peter 2:3).
Further Reading: Psalm 41; Isaiah 8:16-9:1; 2 Peter 1:1-11; Luke 22:39-53
Written by Guest House Theologian, Tim Morgan. These reflections are a complimentary addition to our Advent Blend Coffee Bags. Scan the QR code each day to read the most recent reflection.
More Advent reflections can be found here.