Joy of Our Desiring: Advent Daybook 3

An Advent daybook for these weeks of prayerful expectation.

Pray: Heavenly Father, make me more like Jesus and more like the true self you've created as I savor your loving presence today. Please guide my thoughts and impressions by your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Look: Christians hold lit candles during a Christmas Eve prayer at a church in Surabaya, East Java, on December 24, 2019. Juni Kriswanto / AFP / Getty - Source

Listen*: Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring (Bach), Future of Forestry - Spotify | YouTube

Read**: Psalm 5-6, 10-11; Isaiah 1:21-31; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Luke 20:9-18

Excerpts:

"Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness. But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed. For they shall be ashamed of the oaks that you desired; and you shall blush for the gardens that you have chosen. For you shall be like an oak whose leaf withers, and like a garden without water. And the strong shall become tinder, and his work a spark, and both of them shall burn together, with none to quench them."

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"Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted. Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”? But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none.

The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land. O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more."

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"For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face."

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"But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory."

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"But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you."

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"And he began to tell the people this parable: 'A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ "

"O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long?

Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love."

- Isaiah 1:27-31 * Psalm 10:12-18 *Psalm 11:7 *1 Thessalonians 2:7-11 *Psalm 5:7 * Luke 20:9-13 *Psalm 6:1-4 *(ESV)

Pray: Psalm 5:1-3 (CEV)

Listen, Lord, as I pray! Pay attention when I groan. You are my King and my God. Answer my cry for help because I pray to you. Each morning you listen to my prayer, as I bring my requests to you and wait for your reply.

Tell God what you are desiring today and then listen for God's reply. Take this practice of prayerful listening with you throughout the day and week.

Do: Choose an entire Psalm or a portion of a Psalm from one of the daily readings, or another that is meaningful to memorize during Advent.

Spend a few moments each day memorizing and reciting the Psalm. Notice how the verses begin to embed themselves as you go about your day. Thank God for the comfort of His word.

You might also enjoy: A few simple ways to decorate for Advent

These daily devotional posts are available to those who subscribe at the Daybook ($5 a month) level.

For an introduction read this post: Advent Daybook Explained. You can see previous Advent daybook 2019 posts here.

* Listen to my entire playlist on Spotify: Advent 2020: Gracious Invitation. Add it to your account by clicking right clicking on the three dots and selecting "Save to Library".

** Sunday Scripture readings are taken from Year B of the Book of Common Prayer 2019 (Anglican Church of North America). Daily Scripture readings are taken from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and include both Morning and Evening Psalms (Year 1).