#181: Hope in Anxiety (A Christmas Message)

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Say to those who have an anxious heart, "Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you." Isaiah 35:4

What year it has been in 2021. And as usual, the year ends with a Christmas theme. Today, in view of the christmas season, we would like to glean on what the birth of Jesus meant for a 1st century Israelite.

To set the text in context, Isaiah had spent majority of the previous chapters pronouncing woes on Israel and Judah for forsaking God and His covenant with them. Isaiah 35 comes along to proclaim that God's wrath will not have the final say; He would yet again have compassion on Israel. So, Isaiah told the people:

Be strong

Fear not

Behold!

Your God will come

He will come and save you.

For me living after the biblical era, I cannot wrap my head around this verse without seeing Jesus in every word. That night, as Mary birthed her first born son, it was God fulfilling His promise to Israel about a thousand years back that He would come and save them.

Let that sink in...a little under a thousand years passed between this prophecy and its fulfilment. Christmas was a hope for people anxious at heart. While the darkness did not lift immediately, they were to hope. Imagine how difficult it must have been in those years, waiting.

A little bit of history - God had previously promised David a lineage of kings that would be everlasting; in fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecies of woes, when Babylon laid siege on Jerusalem and conquered the city, that promise seemed to have died. But if we can celebrate Christmas today, it means that God watches over His Word to perform it (Jer 1:12).

Today when we behold, we see Jesus - the visible image of the invisible God (Col 1:15; Heb 1:3), in whom it pleased the fullness of the godhead to dwell bodily (Col 2:9). Today when we behold, we see His glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). He was given the name Jesus - for He would save [His people] (Matt 1:21)... He is the hope of the anxious.

O how faithful the LORD is.

And in whatever darkness we find ourselves, that has rendered us hopeless, the word is - "Behold your God; He is coming; He will come and save you"

One important thing to note in Isaiah's prophecy is found in vs 8:

And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness. (Isiah 35:8)

Time will not permit to talk more on this. But in summary, as we wait in hope, there is a path of grace that leads to Jesus - the highway of holiness. This was John's mission - to prepare the way for the LORD. Jesus cannot be found by someone who is not willing to walk on this path of holiness. There are many places that people go to look for Jesus, unfortunately, He will never be found there. May God lead us on the path of grace.

In conclusion, meditate on these verses from Isaiah 40 and may these graceful words comfort you as you wait in hope for God's visitation.

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God

speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her

that her warfare is ended,

that her iniquity is pardoned,

that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.

A voice cries:

"In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD;

make straight in the desert a highway for our God

And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed

And all flesh shall see it together,

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion,

herald the good news,

Lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news,

lift it up, fear not

say to the cities of Judah,

"Behold your God!" (Isaiah 40:1-3,5,9)

For those who witnessed it first, Christmas was God's visitation. Are you expecting God's visitation this year? Prepare the way of the LORD - a highway [of holiness]. The recipients of this prophecy looked forward to Jesus for God's faithfulness; today we look back to Jesus for God's faithfulness. So we are confident of this one thing: Our God is coming [to save]. Therefore, behold your God!.

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