A meditation taken from the Daily Advent Devotional for Women…
Christ as Rex Gentium (King of All Nations)
Isaiah 9:7 Isaiah 2:4
Daily Advent Devotional for Women
Three more days, are we ready? Does it seem like Christmas is so close, or does it seem like it’s still a ways out? How about eighty miles away? Eighty miles is the distance between Nazareth and Bethlehem.
Do we have somewhere–maybe closer than eighty miles or maybe farther–that we need to travel this Christmas?
Do we need to walk down the hall, take a left through the first open door, and spend some quiet time with a little one who has been hustled and bustled until their little heart almost broke and their temper did?
How about the distance between grown siblings? Hurt feeling, harsh words and plain old misunderstandings can create a chasm greater than eighty miles wide and eighty miles deep. Is the crevasse filled with sour memories and more time than we know how to make up for? One step…one call…one generic Christmas card could make all the difference in the world.
When we crawl in bed at night, what’s the mathematical equation to find the area between us and our husband? Him hanging off the right side plus us hanging off the left equals a span of separation not only physical, but emotional, and spiritual as well. What would happen if we just reached out yonder, across crumpled sheets and through flannel pajamas and touched his arm as we fell asleep? Would that be the first step to help fill that void?
Does God the Father seem so far out there, way past the tiniest of stars we stare up at each night, wondering where He is and not really caring what the answer may be because we don’t feel like he’s near us. As the animated character Buzz Light Year would say, “To infinity and beyond!” Is that where God seems right now? Beyond.
Do we know how much we are wanted and loved by God? God loves us and wants us. He longs, LONGS, to be near us. So much so, He makes Himself available all the time, 24/7, 365.
Those family ties stretched to the breaking point and beyond. There may be hope. And if there is no hope just yet, and in some families there is not, there is prayer. Whether we see them or not, we must pray for them. Fill those miles with prayer and all will be well someday, maybe not until heaven, but all will be well.
The man we share that expanse of bed with, if he does not long for you…ache for him. Yes, ache.
ache
verb (used without object)
1.
to have or suffer a continuous, dull pain: His whole body ached.
2.
to feel great sympathy, pity, or the like: Her heart ached for the starving animals.
3.
to feel eager; yearn; long: She ached to be the champion. He’s just aching to get even.
Ache for your man, ache for your marriage. God promises to make all things new and let Him start with you.
The baby Jesus is coming to be the King of all nations and everyone knows a good king restores and unifies…families, marriages, hearts…all things.
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Kelly Balarie says
Thank you for this meditation and imagery. I love how you point out how Jesus unifies and restores. What glory is found in that! Cheering you on as you cheer Christ on!
Alyssa says
So are you reviewing this book or did you write it?
Jenny says
Wrote it Alyssa and this is one of my favorite meditations in the book. It’s a freebie for my email subscribers. If you scroll down a slide up box should appear for you to sign up.