Advent Day 06: Hope

FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT – FRIDAY December 8, 2023

READ Isaiah 53:1–12
The great theme of this section of Isaiah’s prophecies is Jesus Christ and his sufferings. The kingly qualifications described in Isaiah are so matchless that only the coming of the Lord himself can fulfill them. The question is: How can any king be powerful enough to liberate us from slavery and bondage? The answer: Only one who is God himself.

REFLECTION
When we get to Isaiah chapter 53, this Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, who is supposed to end violence – we see that instead of receiving honor, he is the victim of violence: “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer” (53:10); “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (53:5). Jesus knew injustice from his earliest years, yet turned that into healing for us.

PRAYER
Pray that God would use you and that you would willingly do all you can to help accomplish his great plan. Pray for help to live justly and generously and to walk humbly with God.