Emily Parke Chase
During December, it sometimes seems that the whole world stops its normal routine and shifts its focus to shopping and office parties and eating. I, for example, put my normal writing projects on hold so that I can focus on preparing these devotional thoughts during Advent.’ When the people of Israel went into captivity in …
Read More Advent 2017 – Day 15Have you ever planned a holiday celebration and then, instead of seeing your prayers and hopes fulfilled, you see things flow downward in an unending spiral. The turkey burns, the eggnog runs out, six extra guests arrive. Like Isaiah, Jeremiah served faithfully as a prophet of Jehovah for many decades. Where Isaiah had opportunity to …
Read More Advent 2017 – Day 14My uncle loved to celebrate Christmas. He was a strong believer in Christ and prayed regularly for his children, but they did not choose to follow the same path. Then he faced a stroke and other health complications. His time on earth was shortened. Despite many years of waiting, my uncle died without seeing his …
Read More Advent 2017 – Day 13Yesterday I had major surgery for back pain. It was originally scheduled to take place just after Christmas, in January. Some people were praying that I might avoid surgery altogether and be healed before then, so I faced a dilemma. On the one hand, I wanted to have faith to believe God would heal me, …
Read More Advent 2017 – Day 12Have you ever ordered a Christmas gift on line and then waited and waited for your order to appear? Everything was paid for, but the package never arrived. Sometimes the person lost the order in cyberspace, but other times the person at the other end never got around to putting the package in the mail. …
Read More Advent 2017 – Day 11Welcome back to the next in our Advent series on the theme of “waiting.” As the youngest son of Jesse, David did not have great prospects for wealth and fame. He was, after all, only a shepherd boy. Then Samuel anointed David to be the next king. Immediately David defeated Goliath, he met Saul and …
Read More Advent 2017 – Day 10The holiday malls are full of sales. Have you driven across town to purchase an item only to see it advertised the next day at your local mall or on-line at a lower price? If you had waited one more day, you could have saved yourself a substantial amount of trouble. King Saul was not …
Read More Advent 2017 – Day 9Christmas is coming and gifts are piling up under the tree. My mother used to say, “Good things come in small packages.” In Judges 6, the Lord called Gideon to lead his people out of oppression by the nation of Midian. It took Gideon a bit of time to be certain he heard the Lord …
Read More Advent 2017 – Day 8Welcome back for the next in our 2017 series of Advent devotionals on the theme of “Waiting for God to Appear.” This year, my husband and I look forward to celebrating our first Christmas in our new apartment. We lived in our former home for over forty years. During those forty years, we raised three …
Read More Advent 2017 – Day 7My grandson Josiah, age 12, is already saving up to buy his first car. He has great dreams. One day he says it will be a BMW. Another day it will be a sports coupe. But he will have to wait for years before his dream is fulfilled, and he will first need to learn …
Read More Advent 2017 – Day 6