I will give you rest

As far back as Genesis 3:15, we see God's promise of a coming Savior, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise the heel." And in today's reading from Zechariah, we see the continuance of this prophesy. "For lo, I come and I will dwell in the midst of thee saith the Lord."

The Lord had long promised the coming of the Savior. One who would unite all nations, all the people, Jew and Gentile, unto himself, and we see this promise fulfilled in the New Testament. As we enter into this Advent season, let us look back with joy on the fulfillment of the promise of the coming of Christ and at the same time, eagerly look forward to the second coming of Christ when he returns to His people.

In times of trouble and stress, I need to remind myself that I have a God who always keeps His promise. I need to remind myself to grow in knowledge, faith and love for the Lord. To focus on the things above and not on those things below. In doing these things, I will be drawing close to the Lord and be less affected by the ills that this world confronts me with.

The older I get, the more unsure I am about my abilities to handle the problems life will present me. I am a little weaker, a little slower, a little grayer than the day before. I have seen my childhood friends grow older, more feeble and pass away. Ultimately, I know this is my destiny as well. Occasionally these thoughts weigh me down, become a burden on my soul. At these times I find comfort in the word, the promise of God. In Matthew 11: 29-30, we read "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

This brings us back to our daily reading. The prophet Zechariah says, "So let us rejoice and sing as the daughters of Zion did at the promises of God; Let us reverence and adore God and expect the accomplishment of His work." (Zec 2: 14-17)

Author: Charlie DeLong, Head Soccer Coach