Delight Advent | Prepare a Way for the Coming King
This flesh life is hard. There’s no other way to say it. There are challenges and difficulties, adversities and loss. There is weeping and mourning, sorrow and pain. But there is a joy beyond all compare in the presence of Jesus Christ. After experiencing loss just a few short months ago, I’ve found myself in the presence of Jesus and in the mindset of heaven like never before. I’ve found myself digging into Scripture to study the details of how heaven is portrayed and how the hope of heaven is revealed through His word. This week, the second Sunday of advent, we will be focusing on this verse:
“Sing to Yahweh, you His faithful ones, and praise His Holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor, a lifetime. Weeping may spend the night, but there is joy in the morning. When I was secure, I said, ‘I will never be shaken.’” Psalm 30:4-6
What a beautiful representation of who Jesus is. He is the God who does not delay, a God who fulfills every thing with purpose and fulfills all His promises. And the coming of the King is just one of those promises that He fulfilled so many years ago and will again fulfill with His return. This week, we are focusing on preparing our hearts and minds for that.
He is accessible right now to you.
His very presence is closer than your breath.
What a crazy thought, right!? But it’s SO easy to often think He is so far away because we can’t see Him in the flesh. He’s not in this dimension, but if He was to appear before you right now, would the posture of your heart be one you are proud of? This week, I want to urge you to prepare your heart and mind.
No one plants seeds one afternoon and expects that there will be a full crop the next morning. There are things to do, and God has called us to cultivate our lives – hearts and minds, and rest that our future is in His hands. I once read that preparation is a statement of faith. It is committing to trust even when you are hurting.
Several practical applications to prepare our hearts and minds include:
Get rid of the noise.
The distraction. Simplify your life. Hebrews 12:2 reminds us to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.
Notice who He is and what He has done.
Over this last year, I’m absolutely sure you have experienced trial. You’ve faced challenges and difficulties, you may have experienced incredible loss, whether through a childhood home or the loss of a loved one. But we are reminded in Romans 8:28 that He works all things together for good. And in Genesis chapter 50, we are reminded that He planned it for good.
And finally, be vigilant and aware and discerning.
Be aware that the enemy prowls around daily, constantly, seeking out ways to cause chaos in your heart, but His will for your life is RIGHT there. Seek out His will and walk in faith and take steps towards that. As we wait with expectant hope for the coming of the King, and we prepare our hearts and minds for that, we also prepare our hearts and minds for this next year — 2017. We prepare our hearts and minds for all that lies ahead, the things we are already planning for, and all of the unknown and not not revealed. We prepare the posture of our heart to be ready and seek out Jesus above all else.
* One way to practically keep your heart and the posture of your heart prepared is to set this image as the wallpaper on your lock screen. Commit this verse to memory this week! Just save this image and let it be a daily reminder for you:
