Advent 2 Devotional

Isaiah 1:1-9

When I was little, I got a picture book from the library about the people of Israel. Even as a kid, I noticed a pattern. There would be a picture of the people celebrating that God had saved them, and then a picture of the people rebelling against God and being attacked by invaders. Rinse and repeat. As a kid, the solution seemed so obvious. Just stop!
Of course, things aren’t that simple. We can probably all think of people we know who can’t seem to break a destructive cycle, or are stuck in toxic patterns, or who can’t seem to break free from addiction. Maybe we are the very person who comes to mind.
From outside, it can seem so simple. Just stop! But as we all know, it’s not that easy. Just like the people of Israel, we can struggle to break destructive cycles and patterns even when we know the pain they cause. We have reason to rejoice, however. God saw the painful cycle of the people of Israel and took it upon Godself to end it. When the people of Israel could not break the cycle, God broke it for them, by offering them redemption that depended not on themselves, but on God’s abounding grace and love.

Source: Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

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