ADVENT DEVOTIONAL | Day 9 | Doing the Will of God

READ
6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. 7  Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: 8 I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.
Psalm 40:6-8

REFLECT
These verses remind us that true worship is far more than rituals offered from a distance. God desires hearts that delight in His will—lives shaped by obedience, trust, and surrender. David’s words, “Behold, I have come… I delight to do Your will,” point beyond themselves to One who would fulfill them perfectly.

The author of Hebrews, in verses 5-10 of chapter 10, tells us that Jesus came into the world embodying these very words. Unlike us, He did not merely attempt obedience—He delighted in it. In His life, Jesus fulfilled every purpose of the Father with joy. In His death, He offered the perfect sacrifice that no offering or ritual could ever accomplish. And in His resurrection, He completed the will of God in a way that brings new life to all who trust in Him.

But this psalm also pulls our hearts forward. The One who delighted perfectly in God’s will at His first coming will return to finish what He began. In His second advent, Jesus will bring God’s will to completion—renewing creation, restoring justice, and making all things new.
As we wait, we are invited to echo His words: “I delight to do Your will.” Advent is our reminder that obedience is not a burden but a response to the Savior who obeyed perfectly in our place—and who will return to make our obedience complete.

RESPOND

• How does remembering Jesus’ obedience in His life, death, and resurrection reshape the way you approach daily decisions and desires?

• Pray that God would deepen your hope in Christ’s return and empower you to live with joyful faithfulness as you wait for His will to be fully fulfilled.