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Editor's Note

About the author: Lori, her husband Greg, and their 2 daughters, have been members at ZPC since 2015. Lori loves serving (and cooking!) as a ZPC Deacon, writing as a parent contributor to USA Today, and running her party planning business. 

About this post: This blog post is part of a series of daily devotionals where we are exploring traditional Advent themes of hope, joy, peace, and love. To sign up to receive text notification of these posts, text zpc advent to 39970. Advent booklets are also available at the ZPC Welcome Center. We welcome your comments and questions each day.

Today's Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:18-29

I will build a house for you. 2 Samuel 7:27

I have always cherished this verse. Home conjures up so many images, doesn't it? A warm, inviting place, surrounded by those you love. There is nothing we, as humans, scramble for harder than a place to call home. Shelter is a basic need, but when we say "shelter," what we really mean is "safety." Home is a security, and a place to rest. 

Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 2 Samuel 7:18 

And yet so many times in our lives, we transition through phases where we have to hang onto hope that while one "home" disappears, another will be built. I wonder if the survivors of the California Campfire are thinking, "Why God? Why did you bless me with a homestead, only to have it burn to the ground?" And the parents who have lost children to violence or drug addiction this year? How do we grapple with what feels to be senseless loss of that which we hold most precious?

And my answer is right here: Because God PROMISES he will build a house for me that can never burn to the ground. King David prays about being a courageous and hopeful servant, but those are hard tasks in the best of circumstances, let alone when faced with the true hardships of this world! "Servant" is written ten times in these verses, instructing me of my job title in this eternal-hope-relationship: God is my eternal hope, and I will be his servant while I am upon this earth. Unfortunately, in good times I easily become distracted by activities in and around the "home" during the Advent season, and in hard times, I'm just plain distracted. In order to maintain hope and not become depleted, I would better SERVE the Lord by making sure he's at the CENTER of my life, keeping my eye on the promise of a forever home with the Lord. Easier said than done! Godspeed, my friends! 

Activity:

Hope is the reward, but the price tag is servanthood. In this season of waiting, take time to plan for it. With intention, sit down alone or with your family, and plan out your servanthood for 2019. What are your ongoing commitments, and where do those busy seasons fall? How can that best be managed as a person and as a family functioning as a unit? What are your financial commitments for beneficence, and how can you as a servant and as a family, discuss and plan for those in the upcoming year? It's a serious responsibility to be a servant of the Lord, but it is also fun and spontaneous. Allow space for unexpected requests, both in time and in finance. When opportunities arise in 2019, you'll have a written plan that allows for commitments to be made with a sense of security that you can serve the Lord with your whole heart and mind. 

Lord,
Only you know which jobs are mine to do. I can look across the landscape and see many tasks, but what I hope is that you'll point me to the ones chosen by you. Please send me out to do your work, because when you're at the center of my day, hope fills me to the point of overflowing. And when my life is full of hope, joy and peace soon follow. All other paths lead to depletion and despair. Let my living show others that by being a part of God's family, we can survive and thrive in our season of waiting for your eternal promises.
Amen

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