I am in a group text with a few friends who pray for each other.
Okay, the group is for prayer requests AND ridiculous GIFS to make each other laugh. But that’s it! And to wish people happy birthday but nothing more. Alright…in some rare cases to see if anyone wants to get dinner together. Okay, anytime we think of each other we send something. There, that covers it.
Back to the prayer requests. These requests vary in nature. Sometimes we ask for prayer for family members, job interviews, a sick relative, help with our kids, or to fix our attitudes after a tough day.
One particular week, the prayer requests were a little more intense.
They included things like an emergency room visit, a parent suffering from dementia, the death of a loved one, and people that we care about going through really tough things. One of our friends in the chat acknowledged that collectively, we were all going through a lot.
Sometimes it is good to put a name to something.
Maybe that’s because we often avoid the pain we are going through so that we don’t have to deal with it or maybe its because we ourselves can’t identify where the pain is coming from. In that case, it’s always good to have a friend who names it.
As we head into the holidays, which we can all agree are a mixed bag of emotions, maybe we should name it. Many of us are hurting. We are beat up, singed, bedraggled, punch drunk, befuddled, and feeling a little…hopeless.
Despair is a terrible feeling isn’t it? We’ve all been there at one time or another. If you have a loved one who struggles with depression or if you wrestle with it, you know exactly what it feels like.
When hopelessness overshadows you, there is a deep darkness that settles over you like a weighted blanket. It smothers you, it makes it difficult to move or do simple tasks. That darkness makes it challenging to find your way out of it or to even move forward a few steps. If you stay in it long enough, that weighted blanket feels more like a slab of concrete on your chest.
Have you been there recently? Maybe you are there now.
When you are in that state of being, you are desperate for good news. Something, anything that indicates a change in your circumstances.
“I need some good news today!!!” It seems like recently, I have uttered those words out loud to myself and to whoever will listen. My wife, who is a saint, is like “Yeah, right?!!” Sometimes good news is tough to come by, or maybe its because we aren’t paying attention.
Don’t you need to hear some good news today?
We are entering into a season that many churches and places of worship call “Advent Season”.
The word “Advent” simply means arrival. This time of year, many of us are preparing for multiple Christmas parties, some are attempting to get in the holiday mood by listening to Christmas music or wearing ugly Christmas sweaters. Maybe, a few of us are ramping up for church services, and others are doing their dead level best to get their hearts prepared for the celebration of the arrival of Jesus.
But…there is that slab of concrete on our chest, the weighted blanket that makes it difficult for us to move. It has the capacity to smother our joy and hamper our holiday spirits.
There is a beautiful verse that captures the anticipation of the birth of Jesus perfectly. It is found in Isaiah.
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2
The people referred to here are God’s people, specifically Israel. This verse is a reminder of what they had been through and how God rescued them from the oppression of Egypt. That oppression is described as a “deep darkness”.
I don’t know why but that speaks to me. There is a darkness that is so bleak, there is a depth to it. Other translations call it a dark land, a place you might want to visit but you would never want to live there. It’s as if you have set up camp in this void that you can’t escape.
“For you have shattered their oppressive yoke and the rod on their shoulders, the staff of their oppressor, just as you did on the day of Midian.” Isaiah 9:4
The yoke Isaiah is speaking of here is slavery and the rod or club he mentions is the suffering they endured at the hands of the powerful who kept them in chains. That suffering took the form of an impossible workload and beatings they endured from the Egyptians.
God led them out of captivity, shattering the yoke of slavery and the staff of the oppressor. According to Exodus, they were led out of Egypt and guided by a cloud during the day and, get this, a pillar of fire by night. A great light was leading them.
This massive group of exiles were traveling away from their oppressors and their path was illumined.
The hope for the people hearing this is that what God has done before, He will do again. Their current suffering and their present slavery is not unseen nor are their prayers unheard.
How do they know this? There is Someone arriving, in the future, who will do the same for them. I know, it has Marty McFly vibes to it, but it is true. That person would show up in the form of a child. Which HAD to be confusing to those who heard it! How would a child do the following things?
“For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
This Child, is described in a few different ways. In chapter seven, He was given the name “Immanuel” which means “God with us”. He will be present with them in their slavery and suffering.
He is a wonderful counselor. Some translations say “A wonder of a counselor”. He is really good at giving guidance and direction.
He is called “Mighty God”. He is equal in strength and in power to God Himself.
This Immanuel is also the Eternal Father. He is the same in strength and power of God which also means He is ever-present. This Immanuel loves us like a good father would and will never be an absentee Dad.
Lastly He is the Prince of Peace. In His reign, He doesn’t bring terror or violence to His subjects or on behalf of them, His dominion brings peace to all who are in His radius.
This is good news, or Gospel, to those who hear it. Why? Because people who are in a deep darkness can only view light as life-saving. It is hopeful to have direction and protection from God. It is good news to them.
If oppression and suffering bring this heavy gloom, then the only One capable of breaking these chains and stopping the pain, can only be described as light.
That’s why it is so powerful when Jesus says this:
“I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
That’s powerful isn’t it? If darkness plagues you right now, if you feel weighted down by the chains of disappointment, failure, pain, and betrayal, couldn’t you use some light?
Jesus is the light because He illuminates the way. That way is a life that looks like His. That life brings hope both eternal and abundant to people who need it most.
This season, let’s expect the arrival, the Advent, of hope!
We could all use some hope right now.
When hope shines on us, there is clarity.
With hope, the shouts and noise of despair can be quieted and kept at bay.
Let’s prepare our hearts for the arrival of Hope this Christmas. We can find Him in the deep darkness we find ourselves in. We can find Him in the middle of the night, hidden in a manger, and in the most unexpected places in our lives.
mlsnellings 