The Christmas season is certainly about the birth of Jesus as the Savior of the world. It’s about the first coming of Israel’s ultimate Messiah-King. But Christmas is also a celebration of the fact that God follows through. The Christmas promise is a picture of God’s great faithfulness.
The entire Old Testament is a build-up. It’s the story of humankind’s fall, God’s promise, and then the long, long wait. About two thirds of the Bible is dedicated to waiting for the fulfillment of one promise: Someday, the Messiah will come.
Through shadows, figures, and types… In prophecies, promises, and angelic revelations… Through symbols and signs… God took thousands of years to gently remind his people that he was, indeed, coming. And then finally, he came and kept his promise.
The word of God will never fail.
And now, in this modern era, this New Testament age in which we find ourselves, we are again waiting.
We wait for all injustices to be made right.
We wait for the suffering to be comforted.
We wait for the world’s hungry and starving to be fully fed.
We wait for all wrongs to be made right, all wars to be ended, all diseases to be eradicated, and every godless dictator to fall from power.
In our season of waiting, remember, the word of God will never fail.
We wait for healing from our diseases.
We wait for provision in our poverty.
We wait for reconciliation in all of our broken relationships.
We wait for King Jesus to come again and make everything right!
And while we wait, we should remember, the word of God will never fail.
That means his word of judgment toward sin, including ours, will be fulfilled. So repent.
That means the faith of all who trust him will be rewarded at last. So believe.
That means all who follow him will share the prize of his inheritance forever. So keep following.
And as you keep on repenting, and keep on believing, and keep on following, remember the Christmas promise: the word of God will never fail.
