Advent Meditations- Monday, December 18

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Psalms 41, 52, 44; Zech. 1:7-17; Matt. 24:15-31; Rev. 3:7-13

Take a moment to recall Decembers as a child. I remember slow days in pajamas, looking for hidden presents, and most of all, I remember the anticipation of Christmas morning. Do we experience the same anticipation in our lives today?
Lately, I have been wondering if God might desire for me to eagerly expect and anticipate his presence in my life, especially during the season of Advent. When I read the Old Testament, I get the sense that the Israelites had trouble waiting on God. Like I do today, they often stopped expecting God to be there for them. We long to be near God, but also long for result to be seen on our own timeline. We are a bundle of paradoxes. Yet isn’t this grace? I am full of flaws, yet God chooses me. In Zech 1:7-17, we see the Israelites reaffirm their trust in God, and despite their wandering, God chooses Jerusalem as his place of dwelling. A broken people are allowed back into the presence of a gracious Lord. Just like the Israelites in the story, we are people who are deeply loved by God, even when we have wandered and doubted him.
Our invitation is to wait on the Lord, who is our salvation, our peace, our hope, and our ultimate joy. I hope this Christmas season reminds us to draw near to God with eager expectations.
Father, draw me near. Increase my longing for you. Give me hope in your faithfulness and captivate my heart forever. Amen.
Ellen Johnson
Master of Arts in Clinical Mental health Counseling, Class of 2019
SEMINARY OF THE SOUTHWEST
Listen to the Ellen read her meditation and prayer:
http://ssw.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/ellen-johnson.wav

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Ellen is a student at SSW studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

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Advent Meditations is a gift to our seminary community and made possible through gifts to our Annual Fund. Seminary of the Southwest appreciates the support of its friends, alumni and the communities around the world that its graduates serve for the glory of God. This support ensures that Southwest, as an institution made of individuals dedicated to service to God and their fellow members of the body of Christ, can continue doing its part to build the Body of Christ.

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