Day 19 · The Nativity Fast
He Will Come and Save Us
“Comfort one another, ye faint-hearted; be strong, fear not; behold, our God renders judgment, and he will render it; he will come and save us. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the stammerers shall speak plainly; for water has burst forth in the desert, and a channel of water in a thirsty land.”Isaiah 35:4-6
Reflection
Isaiah speaks to the faint-hearted: be strong, do not fear, our God will come and save us. And then come the signs: the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame leap. When John the Baptist sent messengers from prison to ask whether Jesus was the One, Jesus answered by pointing to exactly these signs (Matthew 11:2-5). The Child we are waiting for is the healer of the whole person. Fasting is not about making ourselves miserable. It is about making room for that healing.
A prayer
Lord, you came to save us and to heal us. Open the eyes of my heart, unstop the ears of my soul, and strengthen what is weak in me. I am faint-hearted; make me strong in you. Amen.
Carry this with you
What in you most needs Christ's healing this season?