“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high.” Luke 1:76-78 ESV

If you’ve ever watched the sun rise early in the morning, you’ve witnessed one of God’s masterpieces. Shades of red, yellow and blue all intermingle into colors that blend and change at God’s direction. The actual definition of the word. “dayspring,” describes the coming Messiah in this way. He will come as the rising of the sun – the dawn of a new day – a new beginning for the entire world. Waiting for that sunrise is like waiting for Jesus. He is the new start that everyone needs. We can capture the beauty of the rising sun on our phones or cameras, but the actual image is so much better.

As we go through this season of Advent, let’s wait like we wait for the dayspring to rise. He’s there every single day, just waiting for you. Prepare for His second coming too. He will arrive in all His majesty and glory to take those who believe in Him to heaven. Being prepared means making ourselves ready for that day. It isn’t going to count for us to do good deeds or make important mission statements to others. If we depend on our own actions, we’re forgetting that Jesus already paid for our sins on His first visit. Our good works should be a result of our love for Him.  He defeated the devil, yes, but Satan still roams aimlessly around the world looking for those he can convince otherwise. Being prepared means that we trust God’s plans for us – we depend on His wisdom – we turn to Him in time of need – we believe that we are His children because of what Jesus did so many years ago.

No one knows when He will return. Not even Jesus is aware of the day or hour. God, the Father alone, has determined the time. Because of that, we have been promised a place in His kingdom. Waiting for Jesus is much like waiting for a sunrise, but when it happens it will be like nothing we’ve ever seen before.