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Advent 2023 Devotional Introduction
I love how God knows what His children need to hear, and I love how the Lord comforts His children throughout Scripture by simply reminding them, “I’m with you.”
Moses, the great leader of Israel, has passed away. Moses, the humble leader who marched into Egypt and stood before Pharaoh, has passed away. Moses, the courageous and competent man who seemed to have an answer for every problem, has passed away. Who is going to lead in his place?
Seriously, think about that. Who would have been competent and able to succeed Moses as the leader of Israel? I’m sure if the elders and board members of Israel had written a detailed job description and held interviews to find the perfect successor, no one would have been found worthy. Even still, God chose a young man named Joshua to lead Israel, and to fill what appeared to be unfillable shoes.
Can you imagine the fear and insecurities Joshua must have experienced? “I’m not Moses. I’m not gifted like Moses. I don’t lead like Moses. I’m not courageous enough. I don’t have a cool staff that can part the Red Sea. How can I accomplish this task,God?” But in Joshua 1:9, God speaks to Joshua, “Look man, you don’t have to worry about a thing. You don’t have to be afraid about anything or discouraged. Do you want to know why? It’s because I, the Lord, will be with you always” (The New SirG RevisedTranslation).
I love how God knows what His children need to hear, and I love how the Lord comforts His children throughout Scripture by simply reminding them, “I’m with you.” This is what the season of Advent is all about. It’s the grandest announcement from God reminding the world that Jesus is here, and He isn’t going anywhere.The hard part is that what we believe to be true isn’t always what we feel to be true. The difficulties, burdens, and heartaches that we face in life have a way of causing us to question if God is with us now, much less forever. So we hope that in this four week devotional, you are encouraged to believe more deeply and to experience more personally the joy of walking with a God who promises to never leave you or forsake you.
- Sir Gregory Thornton
