Advent, Waiting at His Word

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
- Revelation 1:3

Advent is a time of looking back at the certainty of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ while we look forward with expectancy in the certainty of what he promises to do in Christ. And with the apostle John we can be certain that the time is near. But we do not know how near so we wait with eager expectation, but how do we wait? We must wait at his Word.

There is for all who turn to God’s Word as a means of grace a gift of joy from God. You are given the joy of God if you read his Word and you are given the joy of God if you listen to his Word read and purpose in your heart to keep it in trust and obedience. Blessed (happy) is the one who reads…, and blessed (happy) are those who hear. As we open the Revelation from Jesus Christ given us through the apostle John we are promised the joy of God. It is he who stands among his church as her light, whose voice is as mighty waters to his church, and from his mouth comes the doubled edged sword who promises his church joy through his Word (Rev.1:13, 15-16). The church forfeits the grace and joy of the Lord when she turns from his Word.

The apostle Paul begins his letter to the Galatians, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1:2). Paul ends this same letter to the Galatian church, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen. (6:18). Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1:2). Paul ends the letter to the Ephesian church, Grace be with you all…(6:24). The letters to the Philippian church, the Colossian church, and the church at Thessalonica all begin and end in the same way. His pastoral letters to Timothy and Titus begin and end in the same manner. Is this merely a pattern of greeting and salutation or is there more to this? These letters were written as Paul was moved along by the Holy Spirit as the revelation of God to the church through Jesus Christ (2Tim.3:16; 2Pe.1:20-21; 3:15-16). Therefore when the letter was read publically there was grace to you and when they heeded the letter in trust and obedience by faith there was grace with you. Grace is the gift of God for joy in him and the means he uses to bring it is his Word. When his Word comes among the church where Jesus stands he opens his mouth as the rush of many waters, and his word comes forth from his tongue as a two edged sword to bless all who read it and all who hear it with his grace.

This is the reason we cannot live by bread alone but every word from the mouth of the Lord (Deut.8:3). And the reason the Psalmist can say happy is the man who delights in and meditates on the Word of God day and night (Ps.1:1-2). And the reason Timothy has the joy of the Lord in the knowledge of God and his Son Jesus Christ in salvation as he listened to the Scriptures read to him from his mother and grandmother (2Tim.1:5; 3:15). The church and her children forfeit true joy when we turn from the living God and his living Word. I pray this advent season is filled with waiting at his feet to listen to his voice from his Word that your joy will be full.