Friday after Populus Sion, the Second Sunday in Advent
Posted on December 11, 2020 by under
Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 (NKJV)
3:1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.
3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you.
5 Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.
Devotion
“Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.”
Patience. That is a word that seems almost arcane. We live in an instant-gratification society. If we go to a drive-thru, we want our food fast. Once the computer comes out that fires up in ten seconds, we become irritated when ours takes 30 seconds. We want what we want, when we want it. And we sometimes take that attitude into our prayers. We petition God for aid, and when He takes longer, or the help is of a different kind than we asked for, we can even find ourselves irritated with Him! What is the solution?
Gratitude. By way of His Word, we are reminded of all that Christ has done for us, and our love for God grows. As He works in us by Word and Spirit, we trust Him more, including trust in His time table. Our hearts are directed into the patience of Christ. God grant us this! God grant us to pray, “Thy will be done,” and really mean it, rather than halfway still seeking our own will. God’s will is better. In Christ Jesus, He loves us perfectly. And so we love Him. We trust Him. And we patiently wait for the unfolding of His gracious will, and ultimately for the coming in glory of Christ Jesus our Savior.
Prayer: Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Thine Only-Begotten Son, so that by His coming we may be enabled to serve Thee with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
