Day 2 of our 2018 Advent Contemplations.
Welcome to the Blue Ocean Advent devotional podcast. This is Day two: Monday, Dec. 3. I’m Emily, and I’ll be your guide today.
Let’s start with a moment of gratitude. I’ll give you 20 seconds of silence to think about something you’re thankful for, why you appreciate it, and to thank God for whatever it is. Let’s begin now.
[20 seconds of silence]
Now we’ll move on to a petitionary prayer. Today we’ll pray for someone we care about, saying, “God, give [my loved one] hope for _________.” For example, “God give my mom hope for a happy future.” Let’s take 20-30 seconds of silence to pray.
[20 seconds of silence]
Our Scripture reading today comes from Job 37:1-13. During the first week of Advent we focus on cultivating hope—practicing being wide-eyed, and looking for signs of God in everything. Let’s listen for this in the book of Job.
I’m reading from a translation called The Message. It begins:
“Whenever this happens, my heart stops—
I’m stunned, I can’t catch my breath.
Listen to it! Listen to his thunder,
the rolling, rumbling thunder of his voice.
He lets loose his lightnings from horizon to horizon,
lighting up the earth from pole to pole.
In their wake, the thunder echoes his voice,
powerful and majestic.
He lets out all the stops, he holds nothing back.
No one can mistake that voice—
His word thundering so wondrously,
his mighty acts staggering our understanding.
He orders the snow, ‘Blanket the earth!’
and the rain, ‘Soak the whole countryside!’
No one can escape the weather—it’s there.
And no one can escape from God.
Wild animals take shelter,
crawling into their dens,
When blizzards roar out of the north
and freezing rain crusts the land.
It’s God’s breath that forms the ice,
it’s God’s breath that turns lakes and rivers solid.
And yes, it’s God who fills clouds with rainwater
and hurls lightning from them every which way.
He puts them through their paces—first this way, then that—
commands them to do what he says all over the world.
Whether for discipline or grace or extravagant love,
he makes sure they make their mark.
____________We’ll close today by meditating on Psalm 31:24, which says:
“Be strong, and live courageously, all of you who set your hope in the Eternal!”
Take a few moments now to meditate on what it means to live courageously with hope in the Eternal.
Our Concluding Prayer:
Creator, almighty and everlasting, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus my Lord. Amen