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Advent 2011 Day 7

Malachi 3:1
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

Luke 1: 67-79
And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: that we should be save from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us. To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; the oath which he sware to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
And though, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

These verses mark the end of Prophecy week, the 1st week of Advent, and it is fitting, because they are about the last prophet to tell of Jesus' coming.
John the Baptist was a messenger, sent to proclaim that Jesus was coming, and he was to prepare the way for Jesus. God had already given a ton of prophecies, and now it was like one more time, he was saying, "Hey world, this is really happening, and it's happening now!"
The Israelites should not have needed to be told again that their Deliverer was coming. But they did. They were waiting for him, but they were going to miss him. So John was sent.
And yet, most people still missed Jesus when he came.
How much are we like the Israelites? We wait, and wait and wait for a sign from God, and then when it comes, we miss it. And maybe God even tells us once more that it is coming, but still, we don't see it, because we are too busy waiting.
Take some time this Christmas season, even with the chaos, and the running to get gifts and whatnot, to listen to God. Make sure that you're not missing what he is telling you, and really try to hear what he is saying.