Advent Day 9: Shelter and Shade (Isaiah 16:3-5)

Isaiah 16:3-5 (ESV)

 “Give counsel;
    grant justice;
make your shade like night
    at the height of noon;
shelter the outcasts;
    do not reveal the fugitive;
⁴ let the outcasts of Moab
    sojourn among you;
be a shelter to them^[a]
    from the destroyer.
When the oppressor is no more,
    and destruction has ceased,
and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,
⁵ then a throne will be established in steadfast love,
    and on it will sit in faithfulness
    in the tent of David
one who judges and seeks justice
    and is swift to do righteousness.”

 

 

This past summer I took the youth of the church I serve on a trip to Montana.  We helped serve and experience life on a reservation.  On our way out and on our way back we stopped at churches that we are associated with to spend the night.  They showed tremendous hospitality and generosity to us travelers.  On the way back the church we stayed even had showers!  That was a huge blessing since we still had 8 hours of driving the next day in vans filled with teenage boys!

Being generous and caring to sojourners was something God expects of His people.  It goes back to their time wandering in the wilderness during the time of the Exodus.  The Israelites were refugees fleeing slavery in Egypt and though they were under God's protection they felt extremely vulnerable as they passed through the lands inhabited by other people.  Trusting in God during that time was part of their faith journey, but also something God wanted them to remember so that they would be able to empathize with the refugees that would inevitably sojourn through their land one day.

Now, I know the issue of refugees is a loaded subject these days and I do not have the time or space to do justice to that topic here.  So please do not take my words here as an endorsement of any political agenda or ideology.

What we should do as Christians is ask: What has God led me through?

Then ask: How can I use my trials, difficult times, and life experiences to shelter, shade, and encourage others?

Many people want to change the world.  Great!  Let's make the world a better place.  But many of those same people don't know how or where to start.  If that is you then go back and ask those questions.

Have you ever wanted to get to know a person of a different generation?  Try to find common ground.  If you are older try to ask about school and use your experience at least as a starting point.  If you are younger ask about life situations that you are interested in like being married.  Maybe you are dating someone and you would love some extra perspective on what it means to spend the rest of your life with someone in that way.

The coming of Jesus to bring the fullness of the Kingdom of God points out that we are all on a journey together.  None of us have reached the destination yet.  Perfect peace, righteousness, and justice is something we are working towards.  While Jesus is our strength, our shield and our shelter from the heat of the noon-day sun, we can be that for others and give others a better glimpse of that Kingdom that will one day reign completely and forever.  You want to make an impact?  Empathize.

Heavenly Father, we offer you praise today for the times in our lives that you have strengthened us and sheltered us during this journey of life.  Please help us to recognize how you have blessed us so that we might strengthen, shelter and encourage others along this journey.  In Jesus name we pray.  Amen.