Born thy people to deliver,
Born a child, and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By thine all-sufficient merit
Raise us to thy glorious throne.
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus 1744
By: Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Listen to this modern version of this Christmas carol as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.
Below is video content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant! Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!
Please enjoy this video and the transcript below.
Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.
As we continue our journey through this Advent season and this Christmas carol, do more than sing these words, invite Jesus to come and fill your approach to Christmas with a greater awareness of His presence. Welcome Him to come and reveal Himself to you again. Let’s tune our hearts.
Seeing like Simeon
The Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the salvation of the Lord. When Mary and Jospeh entered the Temple courts with Jesus, Simeon knew that moment of revelation and finally come. What an incredible moment that must have been for him to immediately surrender his life to God!
Can you imagine that kind of fulfillment? That kind of patience? That kind of trust?
How delighted he must have been to finally see the salvation of the Lord with his own two eyes. Did he know it would come in the form of a baby? Did he know earlier that day it would happen? Either way, he seized that moment without hesitation. Would we be willing to do the same?
Born thy people to deliver,
Born a child, and yet a King,
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 ESV
He promised a child would be born Who would be king. That child would deliver us not only through the tyranny of earthly potentates, but from the curse of sin, our sin. The prophet told of One who would come one day. He did come. He will come again. Come Lord Jesus!
Jesus, the baby King. Oh for eyes to see the workings of God few can! Simeon saw the child as Savior when Mary and Joseph brought Him to present Him to the Lord. How often we fail to see Jesus for Who He is and what He is doing in our lives. Ask for eyes of faith.
RESONATE!
Take a few moments and think about how God may be at work around you right now. This very moment. Are you guilty of trying to conform God to the image you have made, or are you willing to adjust your sight to Him. Make this your simple prayer today “Jesus, give me eyes of faith to see You clearly.”
Adoring Like Anna
Like Simeon, Anna was also waiting. Simeon had been waiting for a Savior, but Anna for the kingdom He would initiate. They both saw Him, but presumably neither of them would see the fulfillment of His coming.
We too are waiting.
Jesus has made His first appearance and at the end of it accomplished our salvation. When He appears the next time He will establish His kingdom. Until then we are waiting.
There is coming a moment at the end of this age when the trumpet will sound and the kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Until then we are waiting for His reign to commence. Waiting…and adoring.
Born to reign in us forever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring.
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” Revelation 11:15 ESV
It is this future reign we are longing for, which for the eternal One is already a reality. We who are bound by time are waiting to get to the external expressions of that Kingdom, but we can still experience it now in the internal workings of our existence. Welcome Him to reign today.
From her continuous posture of worship Anna likewise spoke of the redemption of Jerusalem. We do not have her words recorded, but we can imagine she spoke of a gracious kingdom where the Lord would reign. Will you welcome His gracious reign in your life today?
RESONATE!
Take a few moments and consider the gracious kingdom Jesus is bringing. While you adore like Anna will you let His kingdom come in you? Pray a simple prayer like this one, “Lord, reign in me today.”
God, thank You for coming to deliver us. Thank You for establishing a kingdom that will be fulfilled in and through us. Help us to adore You even as we wait to see that kingdom come. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
Patient Tuning!
Keep coming back, and we will work to help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence. We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.
Like what you’re finding here? Fill out the form to the right to get an email with each fresh post and updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.
Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.
Video 35.4 Transcript
Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.
Born thy people to deliver,
Born a child, and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By thine all-sufficient merit
Raise us to thy glorious throne.
Jesus, the baby King. Oh for eyes to see the workings of God few can! Simeon saw the child as Savior when Mary and Joseph brought Him to present Him to the Lord. How often we fail to see Jesus for Who He is and what He is doing in our lives. Ask for eyes of faith.
Jesus, give me eyes of faith to see You clearly.
From her continuous posture of worship Anna likewise spoke of the redemption of Jerusalem. We do not have her words recorded, but we can imagine she spoke of a gracious kingdom where the Lord would reign. Will you welcome His gracious reign in your life today?
Lord, reign in me today.
He reigns when we yield to the inner workings of His Spirit. Our heart is the seat of our emotions, intellect and will. If we allow the Spirit alone to rule in our hearts our emotions, intellect and will are bent toward the kingdom purpose of God. Will you yield your heart today?
Spirit, rule alone in my heart today.
How we long for the coming of His kingdom and our part in it. Fortunately, we will find our place through no merit of our own, for we would fall terribly short. Instead, He will raise us to our place by His throne through His all-sufficient merit. Hallelujah! Thank Him for that gift.
Jesus, thank You for attributing Your merit to me.
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.
Sing
Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, Be Resonant.
The post Forever, Now: Eternal, Present appeared first on Resonant 7.
Image Attributions
Born thy people to deliver, Born a child, and yet a King – https://reflectionsdevotional.com/2014/12/20/jesus-our-treasure/
Born to reign in us forever, Now thy gracious kingdom bring – https://news.sosevents.org/2018/12/27/anna-the-prophetess-2/
Leave a Reply