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What a wonderful month, as we enter, Advent. It is a time to reflect and ponder the Great gift that God sent to us – His Son, Jesus Christ. It is a time to be conscious that he is coming again, soon.

Many beautiful Psalms speak of the coming Messiah. David wrote (e.g., Psalm 22, 110); another (72) was the work of Solomon. God spoke through the psalmists of Israel, foretelling the arrival of Messiah, the Israel’s coming King. If you Google, you will find that it is Isaiah, however, who has the most to say about Messiah. Through Isaiah, God has indicted Judah for her sin in chapters 1-5. The people still go through their religious rituals, but practice injustice and violence. They have no mercy or compassion on the helpless, the orphan and the widow (1:11-17). The nation is affluent (2:5.), but oppressive (3:13-15) and proud (3:16). Because of their sin, God is going to judge the nation, send them into exile (cf. 8:1- 8), and later restore them (3:13–4:6). God will use the nations as instruments of judgment (8:1-8; 10:5; 13:1- 22), but it will be the Messiah who will finally and fully deliver His people and restore them. The coming of Messiah is thus a prominent theme in the Book of Isaiah. They watched and they waited.

This same message is true for Christ Followers today. We must be ready to receive our Lord and Savior. Being ready means that we make room for the Lord in our lives. We humbly receive him by picking up our cross and following him; and all the while we watch and wait. We are reminded, “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason, you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will” (Matthew 24:42-44).

An old Tootsie Roll Pop commercial use to sell pops. A boy would ask a smart owl, “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootie Roll Pop”? It was so good the owl would start to count: one then two. On two he would bite into the center. It was so good that he could not wait. As Christ Followers we have tasted the goodness of God! As we watch and wait, let us delight in his return.

Yvette Perrin is a columnist for The Charlotte Gazette. She can be reached at theword2yvette@gmail. com.