Isaiah 9:3 (NIVUK)
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
On Sunday, Liverpool dominated and defeated their long-term rivals, Manchester City, in the Premier League, taking them nine points clear of second place and eleven ahead of Man City. You can imagine the scenes of celebration amongst the fans and in the changing room! This is a flavour of the joy in this verse as a result of the turn around of their fortunes (remember in Chapter 8, Isaiah prophesies their being defeated by the Assyrians). You were defeated and diminished, but you will be enlarged and victorious. This is the promise of Advent, a period of waiting on God’s action.
Sometimes when we look in our lives or at the headlines, joy seems far away and impossible, but the promise of Advent is that Christ is coming and all will be made new. Lift these impossible situations up to God in faith, believing he will act, not because of how things may seem, but because of who he is.
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