by Victoria Heinecke

A promise kept.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.”
Isaiah 9:2 New International Version (NIV)

One thing I enjoy about living in Colorado are the sunrises and sunsets. I’m not alone; whenever the sky is ablaze in color, either in the morning or in the evening, my fellow Coloradans will post many photos of the sky on social media.

At dawn, the colors change from a pale yellow, followed by fiery red, pink and orange hues behind the silhouetted trees and mountains. At last, the sun makes its appearance, bright white in its magnificence.

It isn’t always this colorful, but the sun does rise every morning. There’s a certainty to it, no matter what happens on earth. We can always hope for a new day.

After God promised a Savior to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:15), generations of descendants waited for the coming of the Messiah. They heard the prophets speak the Lord’s words, that the Messiah would be coming soon. This hope was not wishful thinking. They knew a promise from God would never be broken, and on this they placed their hope with the certainty of a sunrise.

“Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that … we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”
Hebrews 6:17,19 NIV

Some days can be hard to hold on to hope. However, we have hope that we are cleansed from our sins by a loving, forgiving God who sent his son to save us from our sinful lives. On this assurance, we can walk in the newness of God’s light every morning.

It’s as certain as the sunrise. Count on it.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado