One Word from God Can Change Everything

For 400 years, God’s people heard nothing from the heavens.

Nada. Zilch. Silence.

Until an angel speaks reminding us that one word from God can change everything. God breaks the silence with a triumphant proclamation to a wrinkly man in the temple: Your wife will bear a son. His name will be John. He will proclaim the long-awaited Messiah.

That forerunner of Christ tends to make brief, odd appearances.

John the Baptist wore the kind of clothes Goodwill would reject for a donation. He survived on an ancient, minimalist version of the South Beach diet. Some protein. A few carbs. Small portions. And the nasty aftertaste of those honey-covered locusts.

Yet John burned with a fiery passion for God. The sparks flew in his preaching. He described a kingdom coming that would leave everyone in shock and awe.

As he preached he said, “The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will change your life. I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out.” (Mark 1:7-8, MSG)

Then one day something startling happened.

Jesus showed up. John’s fiery preaching cools in humble acknowledgement that the Promised One is here.

Maybe you've found yourself in the middle of a crisis.

A broken marriage. Bankruptcy. An empty nest. A painful diagnosis. The loss of a loved one. Unemployment. A shattered family.

You know what you need most in the midst of what you're facing?

To hear the words your Heavenly Father has to speak to you.

Words of hope. Words of freedom. Words of his love. Words of grace. Words of peace.

One word from God can change everything. This Advent, let’s celebrate that the Word put on flesh to dive into the muck and mire of the world. Indeed, joy enters the world. The weary and heavy-laden rejoice.