Advent Devotions

 Week 1: HOPE

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” – Isaiah 9:2

Day 1 – A Time to Wait

“Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down…” (Isaiah 64:1)

Advent begins not with celebration—but with longing.

Isaiah’s cry is raw and honest: “Oh, that you would tear open the heavens and come down!” This is the cry of people who have waited too long, who feel the weight of silence, who are desperate for God to act.

It’s a prayer many of us have whispered in the dark. When hope feels thin. When prayers seem unanswered. When the world is hurting and God seems distant.

But Advent invites us to wait differently—not with despair, but with holy expectation.

To trust that God is at work, even in the silence.

To believe that waiting is not wasted when it is anchored in hope.

To know that the God who once came in a manger will come again in glory.

The waiting of Advent is not passive—it’s active, stretching our faith and deepening our hunger for God. It's not about watching the clock—it’s about preparing our hearts.As Isaiah reminds us, God meets “those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways” (v.5). So we wait, watch, and worship—because our hope is not in vain.

A traveller stands on a quiet platform. The train is delayed. There’s no announcement, no explanation. People begin to fidget, check their watches, sigh. But the traveller stays, bag in hand—waiting. Why? Because the ticket has been bought, and the train is still coming, even if it's not on their schedule.

Advent is a bit like that. We don’t control the timetable. But we have a promise, a ticket of hope in God’s Word. He will come. The waiting may stretch us, but it won’t be forever. And when He comes, it will be worth it.

Lord, teach me to wait—not with impatience, but with trust. When I grow weary, remind me of your promises. When I cannot see, help me believe. Let my waiting be filled with hope, shaped by faith, and anchored in your coming. Amen.