December 1, A sign
Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign.
Isaiah 7:14
In a day when desperation had fallen heavy upon the people of God, the announcement came concerning what God Himself would do in response. The literal rendering is, “behold a sign He the Lord will give.” Wow! “The Lord Himself.” In a time when the King of Judah rejected any notion of trusting God, in a time when outside pagan forces were a real and formidable threat, and in a time when even the sanctity of life was mocked by the king sacrificing his own son in Assyrian pagan ritual, God stepped in and gave a sign. God Himself would bring an answer – a sign.
Before taking into consideration the specifics of the sign, take a moment to focus upon the personal way Biblical history describes God’s response to the need of man. God Himself will give a sign. We know that the sign announced the coming of the Messiah through the Virgin Mary. And the Messiah would literally demonstrate that “God is with us.” Jesus Christ is our only salvation. And, more than seven centuries before the birth of Jesus, God Himself stepped in and announced that He purposed to send His only Son.
God is the great initiator of love. Boyd Hunt observes that Biblical monotheism (the belief that there is only One God) makes room for God as both creator and redeemer.[1] As one God, He has reached down into broken humanity to redeem us. This was first announced thousands of years ago as God announced the coming of the Messiah, His Son Jesus Christ. God Himself will give. He is the great giver and the great lover of our souls.
Do not be discouraged by global or national circumstances. Do not live guilt ridden by your own failures. Do not allow the disappointments from the mistakes of others to define you.
God loves you more than you could ever hope for or imagine. He has always loved you. He will continue to love you for eternity. Have you trusted enough in the love of God? He has given Himself!
Blessings.
[1] Boyd Hunt, Redeemed, Eschatological Redemption and the Kingdom of God (Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1993.)