This lesson is a prophecy of the Messiah...
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This lesson is a prophecy of the Messiah. As such it is about how God keeps his promises at Christmas. But of course we also know that Jesus did not come precisely as Micah and the first-century Hebrews expected -- not in majesty and as one who establishes peace (vv. 4-5a). He came instead as a lowly babe, whose life has caused controversy, not visible earthly peace. Yet God's promise to Micah was still kept, if we look at things Martin Luther's way: "…what the Lord God has in mind is that: Man; you ought to accept Christ, just as God sends him, not as you want him to be" (Complete Sermons, Vol. 5, p. 81).
God keeps his promise but not always the way we want that promise to be fulfilled. That happened in the case of Jesus, but it continues to this very day to be the way God honors his promises. We can take guidance from a word of wisdom commonly taught in the black church: "God always answers prayers [keeps his promises]. But he may not answer 'em the way you want."
God keeps his promise but not always the way we want that promise to be fulfilled. That happened in the case of Jesus, but it continues to this very day to be the way God honors his promises. We can take guidance from a word of wisdom commonly taught in the black church: "God always answers prayers [keeps his promises]. But he may not answer 'em the way you want."
