Nougat 3

What does Hope look like to you? Hearing the clicking of oxygen pump or the heart monitor, Watching the waves ebb and flow by the shore, Getting a call for a job in the midst of nothingness, Finding an open shelter for you and your family, Seeing the sun in the morning or after a deluge, Discovering food in the cupboards and fridge …? Knowing that you are loved by God is also on the list isn’t it? Consider today’s Holy Nougat

““Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭7‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s not often that God volunteered to offer a sign as surety of what comes next. Yes, the Bible is riddled with signs that point to Jesus’ birth and return; as well as other (then) major events. But in each instance, God chose what sign to give, or (even more rarely) the protagonist in the pericope (segment of text) asked for a specific sign.

But in this nougat it’s different.

God tells Ahaz (not the most obedient or faithful king, mind you) to ask for a sign that all shall be well. YHWH, the great I AM, yielded total decision-making power and authority to King Ahaz for one moment. The decision: to choose the proof of Hope. To invite God into the deep recesses of his mind, and admit his fear (ok, worries) so that God’s divine grace could effect transformation.

What if God were to make the same offer to us – individually or in a group? What would our sign be? Would we be like Gideon, asking for wet fleece dry ground or vice versa? Or maybe we would ask for the sun to stand still so that the day never ends? Perhaps we’d be like Moses, asking to experience God’s Shekinah; or like Jacob, not letting go without that blessing. Who knows, we might be Ahaz – he wasn’t fitting to be disappointed; he never took God up on the offer.

Whatever we decide, I pray we never lose sight of the fact of God’s loving grace, of God’s sign of Hope: Jesus Christ, our Light in challenging circumstances. May our hearts be filled with God’s Hope, in spite of it all.

This Teaching Clip made me think of you. Watch All Things New with Kevin Olusola of Pentatonix by Start a new Christmas Bible Plan:

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May all we seek be found in Christ