In less than a week, Christmas will arrive! I love the Advent season, but we all know that it is only the precursor of Christ’s birthday celebration.
From January 1st, we can count the exact number of days until December 25th. And if we forget, mall merchants are more than happy to remind us exactly how many shopping days remain before the holiday.
Sometimes we forget how long the nation of Israel waited for its Messiah to arrive. Over thousands of years, prophets spoke of the coming King. The prophecies of Malachi closed the Old Testament canon. Four hundred years passed before an angel appeared to Zecharias, announcing the birth of John the Baptist. Six more months passed before Mary learned she would give birth to Jesus. Three decades followed before Jesus began his ministry. It must have seemed to the nation of Israel that God was taking his time about getting to his destination.
God has given plenty of warning about his plans for judgment. He is already prepared with a specific date and plan for that day. Rev. 9:15 says, “Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were turned loose.” The next verse says that those angels will lead an army of 200 million troops! Imagine! God has everything planned right down to the hour!
The Lord is ready. Are we prepared to meet him? Take time today to look at your calendar and consider setting aside a specific hour, or even a whole day, to spend sitting in God’s presence.
