I Will Restore by David Brashear (reprinted from Advent Devotions - 1996)

Jeremiah 33:10-16

 This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals. “Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more ¹¹ the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying,

“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty,
    for the Lord is good;
    his love endures forever.”

For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.

¹² “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolate and without people or animals—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks. ¹³ In the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.

¹⁴ “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

¹⁵ “‘In those days and at that time
    I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;
    he will do what is just and right in the land.
¹⁶ In those days Judah will be saved
    and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called:
    The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’

God’s covenant to his people is always unswerving. He has promised to love and care eternally his children and keep us safe within his strength and power. It is when our resolve to his covenant is weak that we strain our relationship with God.

In the Old Testament times of Jeremiah, the situation was dark for the Hebrew people.  God called it a wasteland, devoid of life, where the streets of the cities of Judah were desolate.  True to his unfailing love, God promises to restore life again to this wasteland. He promises to restore the happy sounds of a prosperous community; where couples are joyously married and future generations insured; where shepherds once again bring their flocks to the mountain valleys to graze. A light will come to shine in darkness and drive back the gloom of past years. A “Righteous Branch” from David’s lineage will spring forth to renew the spirit of the people and revitalize all the land.

Jeremiah prophesied the renewal of God’s covenant to his people in the coming of Jesus Christ, and it would be through him that they would be saved and would dwell in security.  We are reminded of this promise as we look forward to Christmas Day and to the birth of our Savior.

Prayer:

Our most gracious heavenly Father, we humbly ask you to lift the shroud of darkness that clouds our thoughts and vision so we can be filled with the light of Christ.