Christian Reflection and Prayer

(Day 12 of Advent)

Scripture:

Read Genesis 17:15-19, 26:1-5. God said, "Sarah
your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his
name Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as
an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him"
(Genesis 17:19).

Abram was 75 years old when God called him to
travel to a distant land. He promised to make a great
nation out of him-and from that nation to send His
Son to bless all nations. Abram obeyed God and
brought his wife Sarai along to the land of Canaan.
But for 25 more years they remained childless. Over
that long period of waiting God repeated His promise
to Abram again and again, changing his name to
Abraham and his wife's to Sarah.

But it was hard for Abraham and Sarah to wait so
long for God to keep His promise. At one point Sarah
decided to take matters into her own hands. She
gave her maidservant to Abraham that he might have
the child of promise through her. But the servant's
son Ishmael was not the child God had promised
Abraham. By God's mighty power Sarah herself
would give birth to the promised child. Finally, when
he was 100 years old, Abraham's 90-year-old wife
Sarah gave birth to Isaac, whose name means "he
laughs."

Like Abraham, the world had to wait a long time for
the birth of God's great Child of promise: Jesus
Christ, the Baby of Bethlehem. Every year we
celebrate His birth with great joy and laughter, and
we rejoice in the great blessings of peace,
forgiveness and eternal life He brought the world
through His life, death and resurrection.

THE PRAYER:

Holy Father, thank You for faithfully keeping Your
promise. Give me patience to wait for Jesus' second
coming, when You will restore all believers and
creation to complete perfection. In Jesus' Name.
Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)