Longing for the Messiah
Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name. Restore us, LORD God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. (Ps 80:18-19)
All are looking. The quest for satisfaction and meaning in life is what keeps people searching for an anchor position or personality; otherwise, one is tossed up and down and in several directions in the sea of this earthly life. The world which we live is complex and secular. Early in his book ‘True Paradox: How Christianity Makes Sense of Our Complex World’, David Skeel (2014) illustrates using different indicators to show that we live in a complex world: from the renaissance, the enlightenment, to the information age, humanity has been amazed; cosmological findings keep revealing how great a wonder the universe is; the fourth industrial revolution is upon us – exponential technologies are disrupting many areas of life, including belief systems. Any religion or system of thought that purports to be true needs to make sense of a world that is filled with these and other complexities.
There have been forces that push people in the direction of closure towards the transcendent, and attract them to immanence; however, it has been observed that transcendence is continually unavoidable. Julian Barnes, in his novel, ‘Nothing to Be Frightened Of’, expresses the struggle to keep away from transcendence; He opens with the statement, “I don’t believe in God but I miss Him,” despite being solidly secular. There are many more people and illustrations that show the longing of human nature – a longing that can only be satisfied by God and his provisions.
In Psalm 80 is a prayer that is repeated many times, calling upon God for revival and restoration; it seems to be the ultimate prayer after all else had failed. It seems to be the place where all hopes are, and nowhere else. Nicodemus also made a confession that clearly showed the longing and search among the Pharisees, how they evaluated miracles and works by Jesus and related them with God’s power. Their religious life of keeping the Law had not satisfied the longing in their hearts, and that pulled Nicodemus and a few others to come to Jesus and seek for more. The key question in all these observations is to you: where do you pour your longing?
This Advent season helps us to draw attention to Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah for not only the Jews but all the world. We remember both his first coming – the incarnation, and also his imminent second coming that we must prepare for if we are to enjoy His reign. May God give you the grace to pray the Psalmists prayer and to receive the assurance and blessing Jesus Christ brings: Revive us… Restore us, LORD God Almighty… that we may be saved. Amen!
God bless you all.