Isaiah 52:6-10 6 Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.” 7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” 8 The voice of your watchmen–they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion. 9 Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Step One – Read the passage slowly, attentively. Allow yourself to be taken in by the words – pay attention to any word or phrase that strikes you in the passage. (If you haven’t studied this passage, you may find this first reading will stir observation questions in you – such as who, what when, where, and how).
Step Two – Read it again. Meditate and reflect on the passage. What is it in your life that needs to hear that word or phrase? Sit in silence for a time, attending to the thoughts, images and impressions that begin to come to you. Turn that into prayer.
Step Three – What is God saying to you? What do you begin to feel called to?
Step Four – How does God want you to live this passage out? What are you resolved to do?
“Here I am…” what a beautiful word from the Lord. What child doesn’t want to hear that when finding themselves in the dark? I raise my hand for that. For the most comforting words I could have ever heard growing up are these..”Here I am.” All fear is gone when I hear these words in my walk with the Lord. Not only for the entirety of my own story, but even now when I struggle or experience discouragement or pain. When I see the injustices in the world and the agony of those in peril. One day all of our stories and history itself will be completely exposed in the light of His presence. All the world will see the “Here I am” has been all along with us and for us. Some to grief and some to immense inexplicable joy. This is Advent for me, His coming and being outwardly watchful and inwardly dreaming of His return in HOPE. Pope Benedict XVI in his book “One Love” writes about watchfulness that ministered deeply to me. I paraphrase; watchfulness is the opposite of being shut up into oneself, whereby one is incapable of perceiving Reality but “only see’s the reflected shadows of his mind, of his subconscious.” No objectivity, no hope, no dreaming, no watching. Watchfulness to me then is looking with my physical eyes and with the eyes of my heart for the “Here I am” to make all things right, bringing justice to the world once and for all. Maranatha!
Wow, Deb – that word from Pope Benedict is incredible – “only seeing the reflected shadows of our own minds! – talk about introspection! (disease of…) – And I love the “outwardly watchful and inwardly dreaming”!