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Welcome to another episode of Jubilee Life Coach's Daily Bible Meditation. We're taking a look at Isaiah chapter 9, verses 1 through 7 today. Now let's take a look. Now, chapter 8 ended in utter darkness with a people driven into distress and gloom. Now, without a pause, God speaks a single word that turns the night. Nevertheless, nevertheless. Now there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress, verse 1. The very religions that felt a serious blow first, Zebulun and Naphtali in the north, the borderland called Galilee of the Nations, are the first that God will honor. And the place of deepest shame becomes the place where the light will rise. So in this passage, who is God? God is the one who shines light into the deepest darkness. He does not wait for the darkness to lift on its own. He sends the light into the very land of the shadow of death. And God shows himself as the king whose zeal secures the whole promise that he makes. And the passage ends not with our resolve, but God's resolve. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. All of it rests on the burning, jealous love of God for his people, what he promises, he performs. Our salvation is not held up by the strength of our grip on him, but by the strength of his zeal for us. No, rather, from chapter 8, we know that this darkness was invited, the fruit of a nation that refused the quiet waters of God and consulted the dead instead of the living. We're like them, left to ourselves we do not grope toward the light. We settle into the dark and call it home, loving the shadow because our deeds are hidden there. Um but the grace of God shines through first as a gift that we did not earn. To us a child is born, to us a son is given for six. The words fall like rain on dry ground. We did not achieve this child, negotiate for him, or deserve him. He is born to us and given to us. All our guilt was that we sit in darkness and cannot save ourselves. And the answer to that guilt is not a demand but a gift. Heaven's response to a people who could not make their own light is simply to give them the light. And this grace shines brightest in a kingdom that will never end. Secured by God's own zeal, this child reigns on David's throne, and of his government and peace there is no end verse seven. The angels spoke these very promise over Mary that her son would receive the throne of David and reign forever. Luke chapter one verses thirty two through thirty three. The great light of Galilee is Jesus himself, the light of the world, in whom no one need to walk in darkness again. John chapter eight, verse twelve. And the whole of it is held fast by five words, the zeal of the Lord Almighty. Our peace does not depend on the steady steadiness of our faith, but on the fierceness of his love. On a dark day we look not at how tidy we hold him, but at how firmly he holds us and we rest. Yeah, let me end with uh the following reflections. Where is this darkness in your life right now? The place that feels like the land of deep shadow. Think about it. Would you bring it into the light of verse 6? Would you hang on to the the promised child? This child that's born to us, who is the mighty God, and the government of that very trouble already rests on his shoulders. Not ours, but his. Would you name one burden that you have been trying to carry on your own? And by faith would you lay back where it belongs on the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings. Well let's pray. Almighty God, the Prince of Peace, we bless you that when we sat in utter darkness and could not make a single ray on our own, you gave us the great light. Thank you for the child born born to us and the son given to us, who carries on his shoulders the government that we would we could never bear and the sin that we would never be able to remove. Would you forgive us for loving the darkness? Would you forgive us for trying to manufacture our own light and for wanting your gifts without you or your role? Would you reign in us as the wonderful counselor, everlasting Father and King? When our days grow dark, help us to fix our eyes on you and your throne alone, which has no end. And let us rest, O Lord, not in the strength of our own grip on you, but in the finished work, in the zeal of your love for us. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. Well, that's it for today. Thanks for joining us once again, and you will have noticed that I'm trying to uh present to you the daily meditations in a timely way, which means if you visit my homepage, jubileecoach.com under the live blog section, you will get a more expanded version of uh the audio meditation. Well, once again, thank you so much for joining. Godspeed.