The Trials of Advent

As we wait for the coming of the Savior, many trials and challenges must be faced. Advent stakes out a battlefield that we must hold for the coming of the King. This vineyard of the Lord is worthy of our toil and labor. If others plot to take away the land that belongs to Him, their violent successes are not the last word.

When all seems to be lost and the darkness too heavy to endure, Advent’s quiet witness reminds us to lift up our head and to stand our ground. We have better reason to be more confident in the Almighty’s kindness than we are in our failures or the wickedness at work around us. In the shadow of the Lord’s coming, we are never tested beyond our strength even when hostile forces and bitter circumstance seem to triumph.

It is to purify us of every doubt that the Refiners Fire burns in our lives even as unexpected disappointments crush us and we suffer the loss of all things. Others have patiently endured much more than have we, and no one who persevered was ever disappointed. The pure gold of fortitude, the myrrh of patient endurance, and the incense of tested prayer are noble gifts to offer the Deliverer who draws near.