The Branch
December 9th, 2020
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11:1-9, NIV
I think we can all agree 2020 has been a difficult year for everyone. There were many times when the hope meter was low for many of us, and for some it may still be hovering close to the bottom. Everything looks different than what we are used to, and we never thought we would be in a pandemic this long. We are missing events, friends, and family. We need some joy! I wanted to get some joy so much that I considered putting my Christmas tree up the day after Halloween. I love Christmas, and the lights on the tree are just mesmerizing to me. I get lost in the lights and for a few minutes I forget about everything around me. I just sit in peace. A few friends told me it was too early and I needed to wait until after Thanksgiving. This year, I don’t think I can wait. I need some joy! I need the hope of Jesus to remind me that no matter how dark things get, joy always comes in the morning. I need the Branch.
In Isaiah 11, I’m reminded this Branch will come with fruit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, righteousness, justice, and faithfulness--so many things that seem to be lacking right now. This Branch brings hope, even during a pandemic. The verses tell us He is our banner and our resting place, and I promise you, we all need a resting place right about now. We need a place where we can lay our heads and say, “I may not know what tomorrow brings, but I know Who holds tomorrow in the palm of His hands.” Even though this holiday season looks so different for all of us, know the Branch is still there, and that Branch is Jesus. Things may get back to normal, or we may have to learn a new normal, but Jesus is the same every day, and I’m going to remember that. Also, I’m putting up my tree this weekend. One week after Halloween.
Prayer: Dearest Daddy, you are our faithfulness, justice, wisdom, and peace. You bring us joy when we can’t see through our tears. You give us hope when we feel so hopeless. We still have a few weeks before Christmas, and we are all making decisions about Christmas during a pandemic. Help us remember it’s ok to feel sad or even angry because of what we are missing out on, but remind us that You are with us. We can lean on You because You know. Fill us with Your comfort and peace. Be our Branch and our resting place. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Robin Blair-Ackison
