Advent Day 05: Hope

FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT – THURSDAY December 5, 2024

READ Micah 5:2–4
A prophecy which both pinpoints the exact location of the Messiah’s birth, as well as the hallmarks of his character.

REFLECT
Like many prophetic utterances, Micah sees both the first and second fulfillment of God’s plan, one overlaying the other: the birth of the baby in Bethlehem, and the ruling King over all the earth. This prophecy was well known, and so when Jesus came, having grown up in Nazareth, many discounted the possibility that he was the Messiah, since everyone knew the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. Remember in your daily life that Jesus is working even in places people don’t expect him to. And also, others who you may be tempted to dismiss because of their “pedigree” might have God’s power working within them.

PRAY
Thank God that he is generous and the giver of all good things. Thank him that he has always had a plan for us and for the world—a plan that he revealed to the prophets and that finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.