The Apostle Paul talks about trials,
distress, persecutions, and sins. He touches on key points that most people
encounter on a daily basis in life; some of these people are bombarded with a
deep darkness without any hope or faith in life. Look at what the Apostle Paul
says, " Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us
in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any
affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by
God." Paul has the assurance that God will comfort those who put their
trust in Him. The darkness covers the person whenever God is no longer in the
heart. At times, trials, tribulations, and spiritual battles can seem that God
is not present or alive. These past weeks of Advent, there were scripture
verses that elaborated on the Word of God. The prophet Isaiah speaks the Word
of Lord by saying, "The heavens are my throne and earth is my footstool
what kind of house shall you prepare for me.
In the book of Psalms, the Psalmist believed that the dwelling place of God
resided in the temple of Lord in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the place of focus
and worship for the all the Israelites. They saw Jerusalem as the dwelling
place of God's presence among them. However, the presence of God throughput the
Israelites history remains on the outside of their lives. For instance, in
psalm 102, he asks God to listen to his prayer in times of darkness and
distress. His prayer and anguish was occurring within the person, and God was
not within the depths of his heart. He cries out in humility for aid and he
places his trust on the lord. He says, "O Lord, listen to my prayer."
This statement is an expression of anguish and abandonment of the presence of
God in times of trials and darkness. He goes on to say that he feels like
"an owl in a desolate place, a pelican in the wilderness, and a lonely
bird on a roof." The psalmist had not yet experience what most people
experience today in the world.
However, he has hope that the presence of
God will once again appear before his very eyes. Now, he had no idea in which
way the presence of God was going to be revealed and how it was going to be
viewed or experienced by the individual. He says, " God will turn his face
when his glory appears." Of course, the Israelites saw the glory of God
through tangible signs, such as a pillar of fire, a cloud covering the
sanctuary, and lightning and thunder descending from the heavens. Furthermore,
the Psalmist continues to focus on the external presence of God because he
states that God looks down from heaven to listen to the groans of the
prisoners.
The prisoners are those who long to see
the glory of God as the wait in hope for his coming. Isaiah prophesied that God
would restore the desert into the Garden of Eden (51:1-11). He says, "joy
and gladness shall be found in her. Then, the prophet utters out "Awake,
awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord." The psalmist too states,
"Lower your heavens and come down; touch the mountains; wreath them in
smoke. Flash your lightning; rout the foe, shoot your arrows and put them to
flight. Reach down from heaven and save me; draw me out from the mighty waters,
from the hands of alien foes, whose mouths are filled with lies, whose hands
are raised in perjury" (psalm 144:1-10).
The Word of God spoke through the prophets in varies ways.
Although the presence of God was manifested, God does something different
during this Advent. He comes down from heaven in his word, who is Jesus Christ
becoming man. He makes his presence known to man by announcing the Good News
that he became man to dwell among us. Not as something external when the person
sees the infant on the manger, but as an indwelling within the heart of the
person. The indwelling takes place as soon as the person prepares his heart to
welcome the living God who became vulnerable, humble, and an infant for the
sake of each person.
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