During this first week of Advent I will be sharing devotions of Hope. The sequence will be (today) Hope gracing our world, gracing our nation, gracing our personal life, gracing our relationships, and finally gracing our “forever life.” Often I will place a You Tube tag where you can listen to a hymn relating to the theme of the day. May God bless us as we call for his presence in all the worlds in which we live.
I am touched with sadness each time I see a video of our world in which a country is in conflict with another country, a scene of malnutrition in children, hurricanes lashing shores, or dictators robbing citizens of their dignity, power, and worth. I know we suffer much of the same to some degree here in our country, but today I am choosing to focus more widely on our world.
Is our God a God for the whole world? Are we praying to the same God when from around the world prayers are offered in countless numbers of languages? Can our God meet the needs of our whole world?
In Genesis 1:1 we read “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” and then later in verse 31 “God saw everything he had made and behold it was very good.” God loves the world he has created. He never gives up on it. His infinite love and care extend over everything and everyone he has created. His watchful eye never sleeps. His heart never fails to love.
But I can imagine God growing weary when he sees exploitations, actions of greed, gross misuse of power, and blatant hatred occurring and hurting his creation and creatures. Advent says there is hope for our world--dim though it may seem at times. Advent says “Lift up your head O gates, and be lifted up O ancient doors that the King of Glory may come in.” Psalm 24:7.
God is the God of the whole world and can be addressed in multiple ways and giving different names. He hears the prayers of all people, and he meets the needs of all including yours and mine. Advent hope, shining like a candle in darkness, says, “Clap your hands, go forth in joy, and be led forth in peace.”
Prayer: O come O come Immanuel. Amen
Tomorrow: Hope gracing our Nation
Pastor Jerry
