ISAIAH 40:1-5
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. 3A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord[a]; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.[b] 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Advent begins in stillness. Before the story moves, before the angels sing or shepherds run  through the fields, Advent invites us to pause and breathe. We are entering a season that asks us to slow down so we can pay attention to the gentle ways God is moving. Waiting is not easy. We rush. We push. We want answers now. But Advent teaches us that God often works slowly and tenderly, building something inside us long before we see anything with our eyes. The first step is simple: make room. Make room in your heart. Make room in your schedule. Make room in your spirit for God to speak.

Where do you feel rushed or stretched today?
Where might God be inviting you to slow down?

Lord, help me enter Advent with a rested heart. Quiet my spirit so I can hear You clearly. Amen.

Take two minutes of silence today. Just breathe and let your thoughts settle.