Two passages in today’s reading stand in stark contrast.

One is Psalm 119:9-14. This speaks of hunger in response to God’s Word:

 ⁹ How can young people 
keep their paths pure? 
   By guarding them 
   according to what you’ve said.^[b] 
10 I have sought you with all my heart. 
   Don’t let me stray 
   from any of your commandments! 
¹¹ I keep your word close, in my heart, 
   so that I won’t sin against you. 
¹² You, LORD, are to be blessed! 
   Teach me your statutes. 
¹³ I will declare out loud 
   all the rules you have spoken. 
¹⁴ I rejoice in the content of your laws 
   as if I were rejoicing over great wealth. 
¹⁵ I will think about your precepts 
   and examine all your paths. 
¹⁶ I will delight in your statutes; 
   I will not forget what you have said. (Ps. 119:9-14, CEB)

There is absolute delight in hungering for the Word of God. The psalmist longs to learn more of God’s ways! There is a holy passion… a pursuit. This is the language of love.

Then, there is the language of, “This is getting old.”

 ⁶ I have sent a famine in all your cities, 
      and not provided enough bread 
      in all your places, 
      yet you didn’t return to me, 
            says the LORD. 
 ⁷ I also withheld rain from you 
      when there were still three months 
      to the harvest. 
   I allowed no rain to fall on one city, 
      no rain to fall on another city. 
   One field was rained on, 
      and the field dried up 
      where it didn’t rain. 
 ⁸ So two or three thirsty towns went to one city to drink water, 
   and weren’t satisfied; 
      yet you didn’t return to me, 
            says the LORD. (Amos 4:6-8, CEB)

There are several verses like that. Israel was just into the routine. They acted like they wanted, made their sacrifices, then went back to the way they were acting before (Amos 4:4,5). Their relationship with God was routine. God was trying to get their attention, even to the point of turning up the heat quite a bit, and Israel stilled ignored him. Over and over are these heartbreaking words: “Yet, you didn’t return to me.”

Those words are the language of love as well. They are the words of a broken heart. And that broken heart is God’s heart. The passion was gone in Israel, but not on God’s part.

Advent is a call to rekindle that love. The season we are in is to prepare our hearts to have that holy hunger once again. Don’t let this love grow cold. Don’t let it become routine! Let the passion fire up again as you dig into the Word and find the language of love once again.