November 30 2020
Deacon Anthony Cavaliere
“It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and it shall be lifted up above the hills;
and peoples shall flow to it,
and many nations shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,” (Micah 4:1-2a)
Think back about the tribulations you have endured in life. Has faith kept you going or helped you persevere? If not have you become skeptical or filled with despair or unbelief?
Advent brings us a reminder that there is hope. The Kingdom of God is real.
Micah delivered an oracle about the Kingdom of God. The mountain of the Lord is His Kingdom, the greatest that will ever exist. One day all nations will acknowledge the supremacy of the Lord. They will come to Him learn how to walk in obedience to all His commands. Because all will follow the Lord there will be no more wars, injustice, or conflicts. People will treat others with respect and love.
Until then we must endure because, until the Lord returns, life will be filled with tribulation and sorrow. There will be times when we question what God is doing and why, and it seems that He has forgotten us. We pray He would enlighten us so we turn to scripture to discern His will and His ways for our loved ones and us. The Lord speaks to us and enlightens us along the way, but not always in the way we thought and not immediately. We learn His plans and His lessons usually only after we have endured hardship for a while or even many years later. If we do not have faith in God’s goodness and wisdom, such circumstances will cause us to fall away and then turn to the world, or do away with ourselves. Unfortunately many who seemed once to be on fire for the Lord have gone these ways and deserted the Lord. Our faith in God’s ultimate triumph over sin and injustice is the only thing will keep us on the right path.