Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“And you yourself shall not escape from his hand, but shall surely be captured and handed over to him; you shall see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face; and you shall go to Babylon. Yet hear the word of the Lord, O King Zedekiah of Judah! Thus says the Lord concerning you: You shall not die by the sword; you shall die in peace.”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, December 9, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
In the midst of devastation and despair, hope. Judah is going down. Babylon will conquer it. But the king will die “in peace.” Which means there will be peace. Yes, a large number of the people will be exiled. Yes, they will live under Babylonian rule. But the warring will stop. At least for a time.
I’ve had long periods in my life when things were especially challenging. Sometimes it could be hard to see where God was working. But even in the midst of it, there were moments of serenity and even joy. Glimmers of hope. And, on my best days, feelings of profound trust that I (and everyone else) was going to be okay, no matter what happened.
Advent is a good time to reflect upon the kind of patience we need to weather the challenges we all face, some of which seem never-ending—some of which might actually be never-ending, such as a chronic, incurable illness. Where do we see God showing up with words of peace and promise? How can we lean into the love God has for us?
Am I able to find moments of joy and hope in the midst of my difficulties?
