“Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.” Isaiah 42:1-9 (Context: Isaiah 42)
What do we wait for, in Advent, but for Jesus to fulfill these promises? Everywhere we look are bruised reeds, and faint wicks, and we and those around us are tempted more than ever to either dwell in discouragement or to seek peace, justice, and encouragement in those things that are temporal and lacking, and which do not make these promises to us.
But in Advent we are called and we choose to lean in to our need, our discouragement, our faint-heartedness, and meet Jesus, who dwells in those places. He is making us and all things new, and in this season we pray, wait, and trust that He is returning to finish His work.
Today, let’s try to refrain from making our voices heard in the streets, but rather let’s quiet our hearts and wait for Jesus. Let’s meditate on His meekness, His kindness, and the tenacious sacrificial spirit with which He came and will come again to save and heal us.
Those around us wait impatiently for justice, hope, and encouragement in temporal things. Let us meditate today on Jesus’ approach to need; not in lifting our voices in the streets, or in strife, but in enduring patience let us, in Him, take the hands of those around us and love them in gentleness.
Only in receiving Him, as the faint wicks and bruised reeds that we are, can we offer hope to those around us. Let’s start there.
Ethan Stonerook
Ethan began attending Servants in 2012 and he currently serves on the vestry and as a prayer reader.