Not too long ago, I was sitting with a group of friends when someone said, "Let's go around the table and say something we are thankful for today." I was surprised to hear people groan. They were not interested. We had talked about several things going wrong in the world, and our friend decided it was time to be grateful. We went around the table, and the mood completely shifted. When talking about the problems of the world, people were animated and excited to add their voices to the conversation. Now that it was time to be thankful, no one wanted to participate, and one person even became frustrated. He said, "I don't have anything to be thankful for, and I don't want to do this." It was a sober reminder that our brains tend to analyze things and come up with problems. It takes focused intentionality to find the good in our world.
This is one of the things I love about the Advent season. It is a focused reminder to look for the good in a dark season.
Why do we celebrate Advent?
One-sentence summary: Advent is a time of focused worship and a reminder that our King has come and will come again.
Click this link for more details on Advent:
Brandon Cannon
Two of My Favorite Verses About Advent:
(Romans 15:12-13) Isaiah said, “The heir to David’s throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope on him.” I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then, you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Matthew 1:22-23) All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
The secret weapon of Advent: Gratitude.
One of the greatest blessings of Advent is the opportunity to pause and remember what matters most. One of the things I love about Jesus is that He didn't just come to save us from our sins. He came to save us in every way. He also promised to come again. Because He came the first time, we have confidence He will come again. My favorite passage of Scripture to remember the goodness of God and what I can celebrate each day is Psalm 103:1-5:
(Psalm 103:1-5) Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
This song was written by King David. He is rehearsing God's goodness, which is helpful when all we can see are the dark places in life. It reminds us of all we have to be thankful for and celebrate.
Commentary:
Verse 1: May I never forget: It is so easy to see only the problems and not the good things happening. This is why we must be intentional and focus on seasons like Advent. It reminds us that God has done and continues to do more than we can see.
Verse 3: He forgives all my sins: This is something from David. During his lifetime, he did some really terrible things. He committed adultery and had the woman's husband killed. He was also a man of war. This means he killed many people throughout his life and likely carried the weight of this burden.
- Advent reminds us that Jesus came on a rescue mission to save us from all our sins. This doesn't mean some—it means all. We can be forgiven and set free no matter what we have done.
Verse 3: He heals all my diseases: This was a big deal in David's time. There was no such thing as modern medicine. While they had healing devices, they were primitive, according to our standards. When we get sick, we take some antibiotics, and everything is fine. Back then, a simple sickness could be death. David says God comes through every time, whether big or small. This is still true today, and not only for our physical healing. God can heal us everywhere we hurt.
- Advent reminds us that when the King comes, He doesn't just bring salvation. He brings healing to anywhere we hurt.
Verse 4: He redeems me from death: This is powerful because the word "redeem" symbolizes buying back someone from slavery. Slavery could come to someone because they were defeated in battle or they sold themselves due to debt—no matter how, they no longer had the freedom to do as they pleased. They were now under the authority of another. When someone was redeemed, they were purchased and given their freedom. Not only were they given freedom, but they were also put back in the right standing with their community. The visual image is taking an old antique that has been rusted over and shining it up until it looks new. Someone is given their freedom, then restored to beauty.
- Advent reminds us that our King not only saves us, but He has the power to deliver us from anything that holds us in bondage. All addictions, broken places, and lies the enemy has told us cannot hold us down because of Jesus.
Verse 4: He crowns me with love and tender mercies: David continually said that God gave him kingship. He started as the least in his father's non-royal house and became a king because of God's decree. This is the same thing that happens to us. He crowns us.
- Advent reminds us that we are no longer what we have been, but all things have become new through Christ. We are now a new creation. We are children of God.
Advent Challenge:
(Philippians 4:6-7) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and THANK HIM for all he has done. Then you will EXPERIENCE GOD’S PEACE, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Thankfulness is truly a secret weapon against the enemy's discouragement. We cannot stop the enemy's lies from coming, but we can stop what we are willing to believe. We do this best by rehearsing the Lord's blessings and all we have to be thankful for because of His Advent.
This week's challenge:
For the next seven days, think about Psalm 103. Every day, fill out the following journal prompt:
- Today, I am thankful for salvation because _______
- Today, I am thankful for healing because ________
- Today, I am thankful for freedom from ________
- Today, I am thankful for who I am in Christ. He says I am ________
Watch what happens as we replace fear and frustration with intentional thankfulness.
