Daily Advent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Saturday, December 5, Evening
By Therese A. Zaltash
Prepare Him Room
Read Psalm 130:5
“I will wait for the Lord. My whole being waits and in His word I put my hope.”
With the current state of our world secondary to this Covid-19 pandemic, it is very easy to succumb to anxiety and hopelessness. However, when I think and “prepare HIM room,” I am renewed to ponder on the season of Advent. A reminder that we are only passing through this world. The King of heaven left his throne and arrived as a swaddled infant, in the purest of forms.
It provides me with a renewed sense of thankfulness and gratitude of blessings I have received as a result of Christ’s coming. Do not allow yourself to get caught up in the negative frenzy of the “holidays”.
Mary and Joseph prepared to make their way to the city of Bethlehem, with Mary due to deliver any time. Both were filled with anxiety over the unknown. Why were they chosen to be this child’s parents? What will this child be like? What will their future be like?
Advent brings us wonder and expectation, but that doesn’t mean we sit back and simply wait. We must continue every single day to prepare HIM room. We must honor the blessings and gifts God has provided for us: care for others, kindness, commitment, grace, etc.
While we are in the stillness, we can still live our lives accordingly as Christ himself did. Renew our hearts for Emmanuel. God is with us. This King will remove our current oppression. He will rule in peace and bring insurmountable happiness.
Reach out to others and help them to know Christ by your actions. Let his love for others be seen through your kindness and grace to all kinds of people. Start with a perfect stranger and exchange pleasantries, check on an elderly neighbor, thank your postman or grocery worker. Let them see Christ through you.
Prayer
Dear Father, Please restore my faith and hope, and teach me to experience gratitude, purity and a new found innocence, and bring others to know the promise in your word. We as a people are longing for peace for ourselves, peace for our families and peace for our world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
