35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”

I vividly remember the first several months of my wife’s pregnancy – every night, I would walk over to her side of the bed, kneel, put my hand on her pregnant belly, and pray over our future baby with a sense of awe, curiosity, and anticipation of who she might be. I recognized those moments as holy . I could tangibly experience the nearness of God in those prayers, the reality of my daughter being “fearfully and wonderfully made” becoming more evident each passing week.

There is something sacred about anticipation, an intentional posture of expectancy that awakens the soul to God’s unfolding story. But so often, our lives drift into autopilot. The familiar rhythms and routines of the ordinary drown out the preparation needed to actually recognize the extraordinary. Anticipation is not passive; it is the means by which we align our hearts to receive the blessings God has already ordained for us.

This is why anticipation lies at the very heart of Advent. Advent—adventus, “arrival” or “coming”—is a season in the Christian tradition where we slow down, recenter, and reorient our hearts in holy expectation. It is a time of remembering the first coming of Christ in the humility of His birth, while also longing for His return when all things will be made new. Advent invites us to stand in that sacred tension between what God has already done and what He has promised yet to do.

So in this season, may we be both aware and intentional. Awake to the reality that we are living in a story still unfolding, a story authored by a God of purpose, promise, and divine destiny. May anticipation sharpen our vision and stir our hearts to receive Christ afresh.

Prayer:

Lord, help me be intentional this season, living with a sense of destiny and purpose. In the ordinary, help me see the extraordinary. In the mundane, help me see the miracle. 

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice, she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

On the surface, Mary’s story reads like a joyful baby announcement, but her Magnificat is far more than that. It is a prophetic declaration announcing the arrival of God’s upside-down Kingdom. In her song, we see the very heart of our Lord: a God who lifts up the humble, stands with the poor, and carries those on the margins—the oppressed, the refugee, the overlooked, and the silenced. 

Advent is the season when we join Mary in longing, hoping, and waiting for the coming of this King and His Kingdom. Even in seasons marked by pain, rejection, or uncertainty, we can take heart knowing that our Savior is drawing near. Jesus does not arrive like a superhero swooping in to rescue us from a distance. He comes incarnate, in flesh and blood, born to a poor, displaced mother. He lays aside every right as King to enter the world as a servant and ultimately die a humble criminal’s death.

When Mary sings her song of blessing, she is saying yes to God’s promises before she sees their fulfillment. And that same faith will carry her through the trials ahead. When there is no room at the inn, when she must flee Herod’s violence, when she becomes a widow raising a child alone, and when she stands at the foot of the cross watching her innocent son suffer an unjust and excruciating death.

So as we wait expectantly for the birth of our coming King, may we, like Mary, fix our eyes on the promises of our merciful God trusting that even in the waiting, He is already at work.

Prayer
Lord, teach us to magnify You even when we cannot yet see the outcome. Fill us with joy that comes from Your presence and confidence in Your promises.

13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. 17 The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father's house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”

Trusting in the Promises of God

Here is some context as we read today’s devotional in order to understand the main passage. The Assyrian empire is slowly rising and spreading its power across the region. In response, Israel and Syria form an alliance to resist Assyria. They want Judah to join them but King Ahaz refuses. Therefore, Israel and Syria are frustrated and plan to attack Judah in hopes that by removing King Ahaz they can bring in a new king who will join their alliance.

However in Isaiah 7:1, it says that the attack will not succeed even though there are rumors of war. Isaiah 7:2 tells us that the hearts of the people were shaken with fear, like trees bending in the wind. Therefore, God sends Isaiah to King Ahaz to tell him to not fear and to not have their hearts grow faint because God is going to protect Judah, yet he does not believe.

How many of us can relate to King Ahaz? God tells us the truth but we are filled with disbelief. God tells us not to be afraid but we are filled with fear and anxiety. Isaiah 7:9 says, “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.” When we are filled with fear, our faith will be shaken and not secure in God. When fear has a grip on us, our hearts can start trusting other things instead of God.

As we enter into the Advent season, we are reminded of the hope and promise of the birth of Jesus – Immanuel God with us, as stated in Isaiah 7:14. Just as God promised King Ahaz that He would protect Judah, God fulfills His greatest promise through Jesus, our salvation, by giving us a reason to wait and hope with joy this Advent season.

The good news for us today is that even in our fear, doubt, and moments of unfaithfulness, God remains faithful. He proves His trustworthiness by sending Jesus into the world by becoming flesh, dying on the Cross for our sins, and being raised to life. Let us be reminded today that God never fails and that He is a promise keeper.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to trust You fully, even in fear and uncertainty, and to wait with hope and joy for the fulfillment of Your promises in Jesus. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

“The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”

During this Advent season, we slow down, wait on the Lord, and sit with the prayer of the Psalmist. The Psalm begins by reminding us of something we often forget: whenever we place our fear or our hope in anything other than God, those things can’t actually save us. Whether it’s money, health, careers, or our own abilities, none of these are strong enough to hold our deepest fears or hopes.

Yet the beauty of this passage is not our insufficiency but God’s sufficiency. We’re reminded that “the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love.” God sees us. He knows our weaknesses and anxieties, and His faithful love remains steady toward us.

So as we wait, let’s turn our eyes back to God. Let’s put our hope and our fear in Him before anything else. This season invites us to stop relying on the stock market, politics, or our sense of control. It also invites us not to be overwhelmed by fear—fear of sickness, financial uncertainty, or all the “what ifs” that run through our minds. Instead, we can shift from “what if…?” to a hopeful, steady “even if…” Even if life shakes, God remains our hope. 

And we’re meant to do this together. In Psalm 33:20–22, the words “we,” “our,” and “us” are repeated seven times. It’s a reminder that God didn’t design us to carry hope or fear on our own. We are meant to walk with one another, strengthen one another, and wait on God together.

So with one voice and one hope, we pray: “Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us.”

“3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

In the season of Advent, we take time to consciously await in anticipation both the day of Christ’s first coming and the day of his second coming. Our passage today beautifully illustrates the dynamic manner in which God carries out the start, progression, and end to this divine waiting and its fulfillment. Philippians 1:3-11 opens with a clear description of the Philippians’ start in their faith. Perhaps as Paul writes this letter from prison in Rome, he is reminded of his first journey in Philippi, where he sang (also) in prison with Silas before its walls came crumbling down. The partnership of the church formed in Philippi thereafter remains strong and encouraging to Paul even now. 

This encouraged and joyful Paul then states, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” This famous verse often is used for encouragement of God’s faithfulness, promising that when God starts something, there will be an end, and not just an end, but a completion. Many, if not all of us, are in need of such encouragement – especially those whose hands have grown weary or feet become heavy without fully being aware that they have. In the day-to-day, we may instinctively push through to the next task, next worry, or next deficit. 

Take a moment to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas in your heart, mind or body which have grown weary over time. 

Now if God started something so incredible in the Philippians, and would surely bring it all into completion at the end, what would it look like in between? Paul says a prayer for this in-between on behalf of the church: “it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more”. Paul’s affections for the Philippians was marked by their generosity and love, already abounding in obvious ways, yet Paul intercedes for them that it might abound “more and more.” This is how they might properly wait in Advent for the completion of Christ’s work in them. When Christ returns, it will all be finished – but in the meantime, Paul reveals our call to love well, and love deeper. In the joy and fervor Paul feels for this church, his prayer for them is that they may love more and more and more! This is what will keep them until the day of Christ.

Prayer
In response to the heavy areas Holy Spirit has revealed to us, we pray: Lord, as I wait for your promised completion within me, fill me with your love, so that my love may also abound more and more.