This mission continues in the book of Acts. But as the disciples began to make disciples, trouble found them again. Persecution of the church in Jerusalem led to a scattering of God’s people throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1).

The church had “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). Yet opposition, hardship, and persecution accompanied the blessings, miracles, and the spreading of the gospel. Rather than insist on their original church planting blueprint, they instead adapted and adjusted to these devastating roadblocks despite their disappointment and fear of the future. The result? “The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord” (Acts 11:21).

How do you handle the detours of life? You know, when you’ve planned, prayed, and prepared for the trip, the purchase of a home, or the career—and out of nowhere, the lane you’re driving in is closed and you’re forced to abandon your original plan?

Though it might be hard to realize in the midst of the season, there are gifts from God in the roadblocks we face. Most often those gifts extend far beyond our own lives as God performs miracles, signs, and wonders for the building up of His body and for the display of His glory.

The violence and persecution the Church experienced in Jerusalem were not the end of the story. Although it was not the way they had planned to spread the message of Christ, their dispersion allowed the church in Antioch to be born—a multi-ethnic melting pot of people who played a pivotal role in spreading the gospel message.

The Church could have given up, and the gospel message could have stopped right there in Jerusalem. But the rescue mission continued. Though they were persecuted, they persevered, and many came to know Christ in Antioch and other regions of the world. May we, too, continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise and not neglect doing good in Jesus’s name (Hebrews 13:15–16). Even in the detours, we have the beautiful opportunity to turn toward people whom God loves and share with them the good news of His saving grace.

In Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah prophesied that the Lord would give God’s people a sign through a virgin conceiving a son she would name Immanuel. In Hebrew, “Immanuel” is translated as “God is with us” (Matthew 1:22–23). Signs in the Old Testament were given to warn people, execute divine judgment, deliver people from oppression, memorialize God’s miraculous protection, and in this passage, anticipate a Savior for all nations.

To a people who longed for freedom, a sign of a Savior sounded good, but how long would they have to wait?

Although we don’t love to wait, we are willing to wait for the table at our favorite restaurant, the arrival of a child, or the fun vacation getaway. When a friend says the words, “you won’t regret waiting,” or when the waiting is tied to someone or something we love, we wait. On the other side of our waiting, we typically proclaim, “It was worth the wait!”

Long ago, God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways (Hebrews 1:1). These credible sources would remind the people that the gift of God with us, One that would be born in a manger that would dwell among them, was a gift that was worth waiting for. Grace upon grace and truth would come through Jesus (John 1:16-17).

If we allow it, God can meet us, hold us, and keep us in the waiting. And the God of immeasurably more tends to give us gifts in the waiting—that is, if we’re willing to stick around and unwrap them.

How has God met you in your waiting seasons? What grace and truth did you receive that would have been bypassed if you had not waited?

God is a promise keeper. We can trust God because God’s track record speaks for itself. The Savior God promised the people throughout the Old Testament was God Himself in the incarnation. There were roughly 400 years between the Old Testament and the New Testament, and Jesus was more than worth that wait!

God put on flesh to become like us so He could redeem us. The One made lower than the angels for a short time tasted death so that each of us could unwrap the gift of salvation and a “God with us” for now and for eternity (Hebrews 2:9).

What have you been waiting a long time for?

During this Advent season, may we be reminded that Jesus is our sign and salvation. While we wait for healing and complete restoration and redemption to come to pass, Immanuel, God with us, means we’re not waiting alone.

Looking at the definition of sustain, it means “to give support or relief to.” A powerful way God supports and brings relief to us is through His people. As followers of Jesus, when we abide in God’s love, our love for one another grows (John 15:10–12). The cares of God’s people can be collectively carried when we’re abiding in Him. The pain, fear, and uncertainty that plague us, the grief we experience, can all be sustained when we allow the people in our life to carry and intercede on our behalf and as we turn to help sustain others.

Though sometimes it seems easier not to trouble the brother or sister with our burdens, we’re commanded to not carry our burdens alone. Galatians 6:2 reminds us that we fulfill the law of Christ when we carry one another’s burdens. When we abide in Christ’s love and Christ’s commands (John 15:10–11), we experience the joy of the Lord as our strength. When we carry the burdens of others, we are not only loving as Christ loved but God uses our works to build up in faith the one in need and the one who is a witness (James 2:22). 

The world glorifies independence, but in the “upside-down” kingdom of God, we’re called to total dependence on the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). In Christ’s kindness, He knew we would need the body of Christ to help sustain us and help bear our burdens. 

A hug when we’re lonely. 
A prayer partner to intercede on our behalf. 
A warm meal to provide sustenance.
A financial gift to meet tangible needs. 
A hand to hold when we lose the hand of a loved one. 
A word of encouragement in a text. 

As we love one another as Christ has loved us, may we carry one another’s burdens and bring God glory. As Christ laid down his life for us, may we do what our Father did and lay our lives down for God’s people. Let us do good to everyone and especially to those who are the household of faith (Galatians 6:10).

The struggle to rest is real. King Solomon reminds us in Psalm 127:1, “Unless the LORD builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the LORD watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain.” God’s leading our work will always be the best way. When I don’t rest and allow God to be God, more stress, anxiety, worry, and tiredness follow. 

But being made in God’s image means we can also rest, as God did, giving thanks for the work He has given while also knowing that our heavenly Father is “before all things, and by Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). We can mimic our Maker by declaring our Sabbath day, our time of rest, as blessed and holy. In Luke 10:38–42, Martha was distracted by her many tasks and became angry when her sister Mary wasn’t helping with them. Jesus reminded Martha—and it’s a helpful reminder for us today—that even the holiest of assignments should be reassessed if their importance outweighs resting at the feet of Jesus and spending quality time with Him. What would it look like to not have to come to the end of ourselves before we decide to take a break? Can we choose to structure our calendars where our bodies are at rest and we’re able to recount God’s goodness and faithfulness? Because all things have been entrusted to Him, we can rest from our God-given work and leave the heavy load and lifting to the One who is all-powerful. 
As followers of Jesus, we are to be set apart. One of the ways we differentiate ourselves from the world we live in is to pause our work and receive rest for our souls and physical bodies. What if we saw our rest as worship instead of weakness? As we turn toward God and His face shines on us and brings peace (Numbers 6:24–26), may we accept the gift of an easy yoke (Matthew 11:28–30), giving thanks as we physically rest from the work of our hands.

Now that we’re free from sin and desire to do good, why is it still a fight to not let our sinful passions and desires drive us? It can be frustrating and downright maddening to want to do good when our flesh continues to fail. 

Are you struggling with your thought life or a particular sin? Do you find yourself battling the same sin over and over? The apostle Paul empathizes with us when he writes, “For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate….For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it” (vv.15,18). 

When we’re tempted to walk down a path of guilt and shame concerning our sin, let us remember that sin inhabits all of humanity and that our flesh opposes the Spirit within us. Psalm 53:3 says, “All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one.” Without Jesus, we cannot do good. We simply cannot overcome our fleshly desires on our own and bear good fruit. The burden and weight of sin are too heavy for any of us to carry. The struggle is real, but God’s love and saving grace offer life and peace. 

As we live by the Spirit and keep in step with him: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control will be the fruit of our faithfulness (Galatians 5:22–23).  

Though we have the problem of sin, we have a solution in Christ. Ask the Spirit to shine a light on your desires and uproot anything that is not bearing good fruit. When we miss the mark and sin, may we remember that nothing can separate us from the love of God.