He’s Coming! He Came! – Family Devotion – September 15, 2021

Read: Isaiah 35:4-7

Say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear; your God will come,
he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Isaiah 35:4-6

He’s Coming! He Came!

 

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“He’s coming! He’s coming!” Little Quincy and Nyah ran down the steps in their pj’s. They woke up extra early because they were so excited that their oldest cousin Jayden was coming to visit. Jayden was so much fun! Quincy and Nyah knew that the day would be filled with games and play-wrestling matches and lots of laughs.

For an hour the brother and sister sat by the window, waiting and watching. Any time a red car turned the corner they shouted, “He’s here! He’s here!” (They knew to look for a red car, but they didn’t know what kind.) After so much waiting, Quincy and Nyah gave up looking for a while and started playing video games. When Jayden finally arrived in his cool red car, their mom said, “He’s here!” The two dropped their controllers and ran out the door to jump into Jayden’s arms. After a long wait, he was finally there!

The Israelites had been waiting too—for a really long time. God had promised to send a Messiah who would save them. Over and over again he sent prophets, like Isaiah and others, who said, “He’s coming! He’s coming!” Isaiah even told the people about some things to watch for when the Messiah came. No, he wasn’t coming in a red car. Isaiah said that when he came, he would come with power and would heal people. Best of all, when God finally came, he would save his people.

In the first devotion this week, we heard about how Jesus fulfilled these words of Isaiah. Jesus did in fact heal a man who couldn’t hear or speak. We know that Jesus healed many other people, too. Most importantly, we also know that Jesus came to save us. God kept his many promises by sending Jesus to be the Messiah, our Savior from sin. Jesus lived for us and died for us to rescue us from sin. He also rose from the dead to prove that we will rise to life in heaven.

Sadly, just like Quincy and Nyah who got distracted waiting for their cousin, so did many of the Jewish people. They were so focused on worldly or sinful things that even when Jesus was standing right in front of them and doing the very things that God had promised (like healing people or dying on a cross) they still didn’t believe he was the Savior.

May God give to us eyes that clearly see and hearts that firmly believe that Jesus is the Savior we need. May we always keep our focus on him. Finally, may God give us patience as we wait for Jesus to arrive one last time on judgment day to take us home.

Closing Prayer:

Lord God, thank you for keeping your promises and sending your Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior from sin. Help us to keep our focus on him all our days. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Who were the special people God sent to tell others that the Savior was going to be coming?
• What is the greatest promise that God has made to us?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• What did the prophet Isaiah say the promised Messiah would do?
• Can you think of other prophecies (or promises) that Jesus fulfilled?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Evaluate this statement: Because Jesus fulfilled the words of prophets (like Isaiah), the Bible is more special than any other book.
• How did the miracles of Jesus help to prove that he is the promised Messiah?

Hymn: CW 353:1-2 – Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness

Praise the one who breaks the darkness With a liberating light;
Praise the one who frees the pris’ners, Turning blindness into sight.
Praise the one who preached the gospel, Healing ev’ry dread disease,
Calming storms and feeding thousands With the Father’s word of peace.

Praise the one who blessed the children With a strong, yet gentle, word;
Praise the one who drove out demons With the piercing, two-edged sword.
Praise the one who brings cool water To the desert’s burning sand;
From this well comes living water, Quenching thirst in ev’ry land.