The God Who Speaks in the Silence

“And after the fire came a gentle whisper…” – 1 Kings 19:12  

Elijah expected God to speak through the dramatic.
Instead, God whispered.

Advent teaches us the same:
God’s voice often travels on quiet air.

We want fireworks.
God gives whispers.

Not because He is distant, but because He is close — whisper-close.

Silence is not God withholding His voice.
Silence is often the space where we finally become able to hear it.

“Silence is not the absence of God; it is often the space where we become aware of Him.” — Dallas Willard

Practice:
Sit for one minute in silence today and whisper, “Speak, Lord. I’m listening.”

Prayer: Lord, quiet my heart so I can hear You. Teach me not to fear the silence, but to enter it with expectation. Still the noise within me long enough for Your whisper to rise to the surface. Let Your voice be the one that steadies me, guides me, and draws me near. Speak, Lord—my heart is listening. Amen.

The God Who Brings Beauty From Brokenness

“to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the LORD to glorify him.” – Isaiah 61:3

Ashes tell the truth about what has been lost.
But they also testify to what God can restore.
Advent is the season where God takes what has burned down in our lives and breathes restoration into the rubble.
Beauty does not always arrive quickly — but it will arrive.
God is a Redeemer by nature.
He rebuilds what sin and sorrow have torn down.

And often, His restoring work begins long before we can see the first signs of beauty. What feels like desolation to us may already be fertile ground in His hands.

Nothing is wasted when it is entrusted to the God who brings life out of loss.

“There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.” – Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place

Contemplative Question: Where do you feel the “pit” is deepest in your life right now — and what would it look like to trust that God’s love reaches even there?

Prayer: Redeeming Heavenly Father, take the ashes I carry and grow something beautiful in me. Amen.

The Longing That Leads Us to God

“Lord, my every desire is known to You.” – Psalm 38:9

Advent awakens a particular kind of longing:
The longing for things to be made right.
The longing for relationships to be healed.
The longing for hope that lasts longer than a moment.

These longings aren’t failures of faith — they’re invitations to deeper faith. They point us to the One who alone can satisfy.

Every holy longing finds its end in Jesus. Our desires are signposts pointing us to the One we were made for.

As Augustine said,

“You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”

Contemplative Question: Which longing in your life today is God using to draw you closer to Him?

Prayer: Lord, You know the longings I carry—spoken and unspoken. Teach me not to run from them or fill them with lesser things, but to bring them to You with open hands. Let every desire in me become an invitation to deeper trust, and lead me toward the only One who can truly satisfy my heart. Amen.

The God Who Enters Our Weak Places

“We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses…” – Hebrews 4:15

We all have weak places — emotional exhaustion, private fears, old wounds that still ache. Most of the time, we’d rather hide them than name them.

Advent says you don’t have to.

Jesus entered the world not as a distant deity but as a suffering Savior.
Not above weakness, but into it.

Not avoiding pain, but carrying it. Your weakness is not a barrier to Him — it’s the very place where He chooses to meet you.

“I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.” – Charles H. Spurgeon

Contemplative Question: Where is the weak, tender, or hidden place in your life that you most resist inviting Jesus into—and what might it look like to let Him meet you there with compassion today?

Prayer: Jesus, meet me in the places I’d rather hide. Be gentle with my weakness. Heal what hurts. Amen.

Welcome to Advent

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:6-7

Isaiah’s beautiful prophecy foretold a promise 700 years in the making. Though the world was dark and hope was fleeting, joy was coming. Though life was hard and toilsome, rest was coming. Though sin had enslaved, a rescuer was coming. A child, like no other, would be born. A Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace was coming. A Savior was on His way. This is the promise of Advent.

Advent comes from a Latin word meaning ‘coming’ or ‘arrival’. For centuries, Christians have reflected upon the first Advent – Jesus’s arrival as Messiah and the second Advent when Jesus will come as King.

Traditionally, the Advent season occurs in the weeks leading up to Christmas. There are a variety of ways in which people have celebrated the season. Some have lit candles on a wreath or stand, reflecting on the imagery of Jesus as the Light of the World. (John 1:4-9; 8-12) Others have used a window calendar, usually made with twenty-four “windows” you open.

No matter how you celebrate the season, what is important is the opportunity to reflect on the Savior who came to fulfill God’s promise of rescue and redemption.

INSTRUCTIONS

Each day, we’ll publish a brief Advent reflection & meditation. The goal of these weekly reflections is to stir your heart and mind as you reflect on our Savior.

One of the most important things this guide can do is cause us to slow down, pause, and reflect on the birth of Jesus. The Christmas season can be so busy and hectic, the most important aspects of the season get lost. Make a plan to spend time reflecting on Jesus and the promise of a Savior who came to overcome sin and death forever.