Advent is a season in which we are reminded of events that were foretold before they actually happened. It’s one of the ways God sets Himself apart from all other gods and objects of worship.
A lot of people don’t like surprises. I get it. Being caught off guard is not fun, especially when you already have plans in place. You find yourself having to make adjustments, rearranging things that you may have already invested a good amount of time and money in.
Unforeseen surprises can be frustrating, but know this:
God often loves to tell His people what He is going to do before it happens.
Through the prophet Isaiah, God issued a challenge to all the kings of the earth along with the blind and deaf idols they serve. He called them out saying…
“Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. Gather the nations together! Assemble the peoples of the world! Which of their idols has ever foretold such things? Which can predict what will happen tomorrow? Where are the witnesses of such predictions? Who can verify that they spoke the truth?”
Isaiah 43:8-9 NLT
It’s in this context, that the Lord calls His people Israel to be His witnesses. They were called to know Him, believe in Him, and understand that He alone is God.
He reminds them how He delivered them from their slavery in Egypt. It was a miraculous event in which God released Pharaoh’s grip on Israel through ten plagues, and then led them out through the Red Sea, destroying Pharaoh’s army in the process.
There is no other event like it in history that so displays God’s sovereign hand of deliverance upon a people.
But then God says,
“Forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun!”
Isaiah 43:18-19a
We are in the middle of a story that has been playing out since the beginning of time—the story of God’s redemption plan for humanity and the world. Understand, God has had a plan in place before time began, a plan to redeem humanity and to deal with everything that is wrong in our world and make it right.
Know this:
About 800 years before the birth of Christ, God announced through the prophet Isaiah what was going to happen, before it happened.
It was a prophetic announcement that had to be made. The secret could no longer be hidden.
God wanted His people to know in advance. He wanted the world to know what He spoke in advance. The Lord was coming! He is coming!!
Here’s a SIMPLE TIP:
Ask God for the grace to see the new thing He is beginning in your life right now, and in the world we live in. Look to His Word for guidance and ask Him to help you be prepared for His coming!
When you do this regularly, you can trust God will reveal to you what you need to know and do, as His redemption plan for humanity and the world is unfolding before our very eyes.
Here’s a SIMPLE PRAYER:
“Lord, you are the God who makes all things new. Give me the grace to see the new thing you are beginning in my life right now, and in the world we live in. Help me to live out my faith as Your witness. Help me to be prepared for Your coming! In Your name I pray. Amen.”
“But you are My witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord. “You are My servant. You have been chosen to know Me, believe in Me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God— there never has been, and there never will be. I, yes I, am the Lord, and there is no other Savior.”
Isaiah 43:10-11 NLT
Article Postscript:
If you feel led, encourage someone else by sharing this article, or perhaps another article that was an encouragement to you. This one action could be a real game-changer in their life. With God, all things are possible!!