As I mentioned last week, another Advent season—the first part of the Church calendar—is here. In the Collect for the first Sunday of Advent, we prayed that God would prepare us for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Collect for the second week of Advent continues this prayer by asking Almighty God to comfort us through His Word as we patiently await Christ’s return. It goes: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and the comfort of your holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

But what exactly are we asking when we pray this Collect? To start, we are asking God to help us become people fully committed to Holy Scripture. But why make such a bold request? Because through Scripture, God reveals Himself. In it, we discover God’s precepts, redemptive love, and covenantal promises. The Apostle Paul emphasized the importance of Scripture when he wrote: “There is no other book like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us” (2 Timothy 3:16, MSG). God reveals Himself to us through everything that He has made, but especially through His written and incarnate Word.

Second, when we pray this Collect, we ask God to help us integrate His Word into every part of our lives. Once again, why pray such a bold prayer? Because as we commit ourselves to trusting God’s Word, we must also dedicate ourselves to studying and teaching it. Hearing, listening to, and digesting Scripture are essential for faith because “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). Faith in God and our relationship with Him grow as we read, mark, and learn Scripture.

Third, when we pray this collect, we ask Almighty God to fulfill His promise to bring us into eternal life. The New Testament affirms the resurrection of Jesus, and His rising from the dead proves that death does not have the final say over Him or us (1 Corinthians 15). We hold onto this promise with great confidence, and therefore, patiently wait for the Lord Himself, who “will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God" (1 Thessalonians 4:16). 

Because God provides Scripture for revelation and our edification, may we read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest its message.