2025 Advent Devotion: Day 2

Tuesday, December 2

Genesis 9:1-17; Hebrews 11:32-40

“Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see— how good God is. Blessed are you who run to Him”
(Psalm 34:8, The Message).

Dear friend, have you tasted God’s goodness lately? When was the last time you savored His grace? How do we get to experience God like Noah, David, and others in the Bible?

Imagine this: Hurricane Helene destroyed your town; no one else survived; no other household pulled through the disaster; but, you and your family were miraculously saved and provided for. How would you feel? What profound grace would that be? Well, that would be nothing compared to the favor Noah received. Among the whole human race, Noah was the only man (with his family) handpicked by God, divinely instructed to build an ark, and celebrated with countless blessings including a holy covenant sealed with a rainbow.

What an honor! Well, if you read about the characters mentioned in Hebrews 11:32-40, you will find that Noah is definitely not alone. History, from a Christian’s perspective, is really His—story, filled with His goodness toward His children.

Would you like to taste God’s goodness in your life? Would you like the favor from God like Noah had? How, then, did Noah get God’s favor? Well, because he “was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). To gain God’s favor, the question is: How righteous are we? How closely are we walking with Him? Sometimes, people say that their prayers are not heard. I encourage you, my friend, to pray this, “God, do you regard me as your friend? What is it about me that you don’t like? What can I change to please you?” You will know His response immediately.

Personally, I have endless stories about God’s faithfulness and goodness. If you do not know me, I grew up in Beijing, China. Receiving an atheistic education, I became curious about whether there was a God. Living in a high-pressure environment, I wished there was a God, and I often pleaded to my God in desperation (although I didn’t know they were called “prayers”). Surprisingly, I got answers; furthermore, my God disciplined me constantly, especially when my sins and arrogance was not known to anyone else, which proved His presence more than the answered pleas. God’s presence in my life was so consistent, that I always knew there was a God. To find this God, I read various religious literature available in China and knelt in multiple temples, but my God was never there.

When I came to the US for my Ph.D., I read the Bible for the first time, and immediately recognized Him. Many teachings in the Bible felt like déjà vu—I learned them in unspoken ways while in China, and now, they’re clearly articulated in the Bible.

During this Advent season, I pray that we all withdraw from the distractions around, retreat to the presence of the Holy Spirit, repent whatever in us that is not pleasing to Him, and get to taste His goodness in a most intimate way. Amen!

Lily Xiao
Professor of Management
Information Systems