What Is The Anticipation Of This Year? God’s Mercy?

You may be lonely, poor, and cold, neglected by the children, forgotten by your friends, yet may have the glad Christmas joy in your heart as Paul had, shut up in prison cells at Rome!

John R. Rice

From year to year we live in an anticipation of something special. Some kind of exceptional event. A unique day that stands out among any other days of the year. The day not like the other days in your entire life.

Do you have such an anticipation? Do you wait for such a day?

Perhaps, you are waiting for the day of your graduation from university or maybe you are looking forward for your retirement. Maybe you are expecting for giving birth to a new life or awaiting for someone to depart from this life.

That is all normal and ordinary events of our lives. And I am saying so, because most of the time the feeling from a particular anticipation of event exceeds the feeling of joy from the event itself.

Surely, the joy which comes right after birth of a baby, for instance, is a great joy, but it lasts just a few years or even months.

The anticipation of event that I am talking about, or rather the joy of it, is everlasting one. It is even more joyful and eternal than to behold the sunrise or sunset in the most beautiful place in the planet.

I am talking about the Birth of our Lord and Savior, the redeemer, Yeshua HaMashiach.

Scripture

78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, 79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. — Luke 1:78-79 KJV

Observation

First, the Bible prophesied the coming of the promised Messiah to be in the human family. Starting from Genesis 3:15 all the way through the entire book of Genesis (9:26, 22:18, 26:4, 28:14, 49:10) and, finally, to King David (2 Samuel 7:12-16).

In addition to this, in Psalm 2:6-7 it was predicted that He would also be the Son of God. Also, in the book of Isaiah He was called “the mighty God“, and “whose goings forth … [were] from everlasting” in Micah 5:2.

Then the Messianic Age started with Jonah prophesying from 793 BC and all the way through Malachi in about 430 BC.

And then, 400 “silent years” before Christ came. The whole 400 years of no prophecies whatsoever. The entire world, the hosts of heavens, and even the demons ceased in anticipation of the event that happens only once in the history of the Universe.

Finally, the dayspring, the Star out of Jacob (Numbers 24:17), the Star of Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-12) is about to give light to them that sit in darkness.

This is the event that the whole creation was waiting for since the day of the fall of mankind. The anticipation was long, with much of the tears, and pains, and sufferings. But the joy is great and greater is the tender mercy of our God.

Jesus Christ, God incarnate, came into this world to get us out from the shadow of death. He lived righteous life and died on the cross with death of a sinner. Then, on the third day, He rose from the dead to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Application

This is the time for your journaling. Reflect on these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit to test your faith and your walk with Christ.

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? — 2 Corinthians 13:5 KJV
  • What is your anticipation this year?
  • What is your anticipation in your life?
  • Are you excited about the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ? — 2 Thessalonians 3:5
  • Do you keep your heart ready for His return?

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, holy and blessed be Thy Name!

We thank You, Lord, for joy that we have in the birth of Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for living the life of a perfect man and for laying down Your body for the redemption of sinners like us. Also, we thank You for the Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts and shining the light into the way of peace.

We pray, that You come quick, so may we have a joy of an everlasting life with You in heaven.

And all these we ask in the precious name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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