DEVOTIONAL: Waiting in the Quiet When it comes to Christmas, what does your typical preparation entail? There’s the shopping and wrapping, decorating, setting up the tree, hanging outside lights, planning and attending parties or events, cleaning the house, preparing special foods….feel exhausted yet? Throw kids in the mix, and you get to do all the above while also making sure your kids stay safe and the tree remains upright. We spend a lot of time and energy preparing for the holidays, but what about our hearts? The season of Advent calls us to a deeper kind of preparation. In 1 Kings 19, we find the story of the prophet Elijah. He had just experienced a major victory against the prophets of a false god, but Elijah was exhausted in body and soul. The Lord called him out to the mouth of a cave where Elijah experienced a mighty windstorm, an earthquake, and a fire. But it wasn’t until Elijah heard a gentle whisper that he realized the Lord was with him. If we truly observe the season of Advent, and not just “preparation for Christmas,” we open ourselves up to the change that occurs when we quiet our hearts in anticipation of what God might bring for us. CONNECTION QUESTIONS:“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
1 Kings 19:11-13
- What are your favorite traditions around Christmas preparations?
- What are some ways you can build in quiet during this Advent season?
- Winter Snow by Audrey Assad
- Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus by Kings (MHM)