FINALLY
Jenna Worsham
Today’s Scripture: “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21, ESV
Theme: The long-awaited Messiah and His purpose are revealed in the Gospels.
ANTICIPATION
Between the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, there was an estimated 400 years where God seemed silent. The prophecies about the Messiah were received and yet nothing happened for around four generations.
Recently my aunt and I backpacked from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon to the Colorado River deep in the canyon. Because we wanted a reserved campsite below the rim, we had to enter a lottery months ahead of time, win, set our dates, and wait. For me, the anticipation was stressful. It was full of research... about the terrain, the dangers, the weather, possible problems, tips, tricks, others’ experiences, and gear. I borrowed hiking and camping gear I didn’t own from multiple sources, asked experienced backpackers for advice, trekked around my neighborhood wearing the pack filled with weights, shopped for food I could carry and cook with just a tiny burner, and I waited. Then it was time to fly out to Phoenix with my borrowed military duffel and carry-on ready. Finally, the day had come! And yet, the waiting and anticipation I experienced was nothing like the anticipation experienced by God’s people when, finally, the Messiah was among them.
IMMANUEL
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV). This prophesy was given hundreds of years before Jesus was born. When Joseph received a message in a dream, it was this same one! “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us)” (Matthew 1:23, ESV). Jesus was finally sent, and the message and Good News of all four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) is the same: to reveal the long-awaited Messiah and His purpose. Reading the Gospels is often easier for modern readers than reading the Old Testament. Jesus reveals truth plainly to us. The stories are more bite-sized and relatable. When I read a whole-Bible reading plan, the Gospels are often like dessert after eating my vegetables. I suspect that being with Jesus, or hearing about Him in a nearby town was much the same. After trying so hard to understand and please God, and waiting so long for the Messiah, He was finally here! He was teaching among them, and He was magnetic, interesting, and in some ways, He was not at all what they (or we) expected.
Make It Personal: What are you anticipating with excitement? What are you anxiously dreading? How can the truth of the Gospels help to frame all other anticipation, including the anticipation of the marvelous day when the Messiah returns once again to make all things new?
Pray: Dear God, thank You for teaching us about anticipation and faithfulness. No matter how long or dry the wait may be, You can be trusted to do what You have promised. We have seen this in the Bible, and I have seen it in my own life. Because of what You have done before, I hope for and anticipate the day when all is made right and all is made new. Thank You for Jesus. Thank You for the Gospels and for allowing us to understand You through them. You are so good to me. Amen.
Read: Luke 1
Weekly Memory Verse: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,” Luke 4:18, ESV