Day 6: Prisoners of hope
Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you (Zechariah 9:12).
Faithful God, heavenly Father, the world, and all creation since Eden, have been prisoners of hope—waiting for the offspring of the woman who would crush [the] head of evil (Genesis 3:15):
For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:20-21).
But as You spoke through Your prophet Zechariah to Your covenant people in their captivity (Zechariah 9:12), You also spoke hope to the whole world held captive by sin death and destruction. For You had promised a Deliverer who would proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners (Isaiah 61:1).
By covenant, You had promised Your servant Abraham, "Through you, all nations of the world will be blessed" (Genesis 18:18; Genesis 22:18). And to Your ancient people You declared, "I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).
And as You promised, You sent Your Son of promise, offspring of a woman—to bring many sons and daughters to glory (Hebrews 2:10):
But when the set time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship (Galatians 4:4-5).
Yet today, many are still looking for deliverance. Many are addicted, enslaved, restless, cynical, bitter, anxious, desperate, hopeless... We lift them up in prayer. Give them the hope of Christmas, the promise fulfilled in the Savior of the world:
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned (Isaiah 9:2).
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orders all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in its ways to go.
O come, Thou Branch of Jesse’s stem,
Unto Thine own and rescue them!
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe for us the heav’nward road,
And bar the way to death’s abode.
O come, Thou Bright and Morning Star,
And bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
And turn our darkness into light.
O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid all our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.
~ Anonymous/Unknown ~ tr by John M. Neale, 1851
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