Hey everyone, Pastor John Harris here. Thanks for joining me for another Advent moment.
Advent is simply a time of waiting… expecting… slowing down long enough to remember that Jesus came, and Jesus is coming again. It’s a season to open our eyes and pay attention.
Today’s verse is Isaiah 11:1 “Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
I love this picture. A stump. Dead. Cut down. Not much hope there. Israel had failed… the royal line of David looked finished. It looked like God’s promises had hit a wall.
But God says, “Watch this.”
Out of the stump… out of what looks ruined… comes Jesus. A tiny shoot. New life. Quiet. Small. But real. And powerful. And He bears fruit—He brings renewal, salvation, and a whole new future for God’s people.
This is who God is. He brings life where we only see loss. He brings a Savior out of a stump.
So let me ask you—where’s the “stump” in your life right now?
Where do you look and think, “That’s done. Nothing good will ever grow there”?
Listen… hope grows in the most unexpected places. God loves to surprise us. He loves to bring new spiritual life from what looks broken, empty, or forgotten.
Maybe it’s a relationship. Maybe it’s your faith. Maybe it’s your joy. Don’t write it off. Bring it to Jesus. Ask Him to grow something new. Ask Him to show you the shoot—the tiny sign of life He’s already bringing up.
Because the promised Ruler… the Son of David… He’s still at work today.
If you missed earlier devotionals, go to johnmarkharris.net and catch up.
Let this whole month build your hope.
See you tomorrow. Keep watching for the shoot.
