Is God Here Yet?

Scripture: Isaiah 30:21 – “And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” (NRSVUE)

When it comes to the season of Advent, we go through a bit of mental gymnastics. We anticipate and prepare for the coming of Jesus. We look at the promises of the prophets, the angels, and even John the Baptist which will be fulfilled with Christ. And Christmas becomes the celebration as Jesus comes into the world as the baby in the manger. We wait for Jesus is the promised Emmanuel, which means “God is with us,” but at the same God has always been with us. Jesus came more than two thousand years ago and the lives of almost a hundred generations have passed in the light of his love.

I think that we highlight this paradoxical liturgical tension because, in many ways, it is our regular experience. We might know that God is always with us, but we don’t always live that way, and in our imperfections, we hope for a time when we will know God more fully.

And there is nothing new in this. The Old Testament is full of times when the Israelites turned away from God, felt punished for it, and longed for God to remember them. They were then comforted by the promise that God’s mercy would always return to them. One example comes from the Book of Isaiah. As the people have turned to idols and false gods, they feel very separated from God and in turn experience “the bread of adversity and the water of affliction.” But Isaiah promises that they God shall not hide from them any longer but will in fact guide them when they go astray. “And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”

But while it seemed like God had returned to Israelites, in truth, God was always there. God was always whispering to them the way they should go, they just couldn’t (or wouldn’t) listen. And this is also true for us. Jesus is our Emmanuel, and his earthly life among us is testament to God’s eternal presence in our lives. But we don’t always see that. Sometimes we need a miracle like a baby born of a virgin, the songs of angel choirs, or an impossible star shining in the sky. But sometimes all we need is a moment of quiet prayer to listen to God’s whisper.

And this is what Advent is all about. We pretend that God is coming to us because we need the reminder that we need God to face our imperfections, troubles, and distractions, and the assurance that God is with us already.

Today, what is God whispering to you when you turn to the right or left? And how might you slow down in this busiest of seasons to hear?

Prayer: Jesus, remind me that you are always with me, especially when I think you are far away. Amen.

Image Credit: rawpixel