2025 Advent Devotion: Day 11

Thursday, December 11

Psalm 146:5-10; Ruth 1:6-18; 2 Peter 3:1-10

It is time to take a deep breath. Inhale . . . and exhale. Just as God breathed out creation, we breathe in remembrance of our existence. God breathed in and God breathed out the stars that sat over the waters, and God watched how they both shimmered in their own right. God breathed in and God breathed out, and the smell of cold, damp dirt wafted through the air. Then the dirt produced a flower, and that flower’s aroma was sweet and delicate. God breathed in and God breathed out, and deer pranced in the meadow while horses galloped through the fields. God breathed in and God breathed out and we came to life, born beautiful and miraculous.

We are not naive to the sufferings within our lives, nor are we naive to think suffering does not extend to every end of this earth. God is not naive to these things either. God knows our every feeling, question, doubt, pain, and longing. As God breathed in and out, God has known every up and down of our life and has been with us every step of the way. Our hope remains in the God of all creation (Psalm 146:5-6).

We are reminded of God’s power and glory as we swim in the sea, gaze at the stars, dig through the dirt, bring beautiful flowers to our noses, and watch the deer and the horses run. And when we look upon the face of another, we see the wonder of God’s creation. We see ourselves in their scars, their tears, their furrowed brows, their smile, their laugh, and the wrinkles at the corners of their eyes.

In Psalm 146, we are reminded of how great a caretaker our God is for us. God executes justice, feeds the hungry, breaks the prisoners’ chains, helps the blind to see, lifts up those bowed down, and watches over the stranger, the orphan, and the widow (Psalm 146:7-9). God cares so, so deeply for us all. In this Advent season, we remember the gift of this care from our Lord and we embark on a mission to give it back (pay it forward, if you will) to those around us. As Ruth stuck by Naomi’s side in time of need, we stick by each other. When Naomi was comfortable to rely on the Lord to provide her food, the Lord provided Naomi with Ruth (Ruth 1:6-18). God commissions us to help one another as God helps us.

We ask God to relieve oppression, and then we seek justice. We pray for the hungry, and then we feed them. We ask God to set free the chains of the prisoners, and then we become their advocate. When the blind cannot see, we lead them as we are able. When we hear of the orphan, the widow, and the stranger, we become their friend.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon us, the Lord has anointed us, to be the bearers of the good news. Happy are we whose hope is in the Lord of all creation, who gives us the seas, the flowers, and each other.


Kassidy White
School of Divinity Student