She will bear a son,
and you shall call his name Jesus,
for he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21

Advent is a season of waiting. And praying. And longing for deliverance.

The nation of Israel longed for God to send the Deliverer. But in the thousand years that passed from the time of King David until the time of Jesus, God’s people began to lose heart—to lose hope.

They invented their own religious rules. And they waited for God to send a military leader who would liberate them from their Roman captors.

Instead, God sent them the Prince of Peace.

They rejected Him. They weren’t interested in a heavenly King who would save them from themselves. They wanted an earthly prince who would rescue them from Rome.

They thought their biggest problem was outside of themselves. It wasn’t. The rescue they needed most was not from human oppression. They needed a Savior who would cure the rebellion in their hearts.

Like ancient Israel, most people in our world today are looking for someone who will deliver them from life’s problems. And like the men of old, most people today believe the biggest problems they’re facing are outside of themselves. But if we’re honest with ourselves, we know our biggest problems come from the inside. We need someone who can save us from ourselves.

That’s why the birth of Jesus at Christmas is such good news. God has sent us a Deliverer.

Prayer: Lord God, please help me to see with clear eyes the darkness in my own soul. Please save me and heal me from the grip of sin in my own life.