This is the first story in the Christmas devotional book I did for our family and church:
Passage: Psalm
130:5 “I wait for the LORD; I wait, and put my hope in His word.”
“There are ten in your party. Are you OK with an hour wait?” Of course we weren’t OK - waiting an hour on
anything with four kids is not OK but we did it anyway. We whipped out every cell phone and device we
could find to pass out and just hope that everyone had a battery charge long
enough to make it through dinner.
It’s not just kids who have trouble
waiting. If there is one thing many of
us have in common, it’s a hatred to wait for someone or something. Kids hate waiting for dinner but also their
birthdays to come or to open Christmas presents. Parents can’t wait for Christmas vacation to
be over. The people in the congregation can’t
wait for the preacher to stop talking.
Of course we all hate waiting in the checkout line. We are always on the lookout for the shortest
line or the fastest checker – or maybe that’s just me.
Many years ago God’s people were waiting. In fact as we celebrate Christmas it is
important to realize God had pretty much been silent for 400 years. Since I can hardly wait fifteen minutes
without pulling out my cellphone and having something to do while I wait I
can’t imagine waiting 400 years to hear something from God. The Messiah had been foretold - a Child would
be born who would be Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince
of Peace. (Is. 9:6) Where was He?
Aren’t we the same way? We pray and wait. Of course we expect answers
pretty quick or again maybe that’s just me.
A little wait might be doable but to wait weeks, months, years and still
no answer is hard. It’s more than hard:
it’s a faith exercise and I haven’t found any exercise that’s not hard or fun. I
have agonized over prayers waiting for an answer. (By the way, being a pastor’s wife doesn’t
get your prayers answered any faster.) I
have learned to wait upon the LORD or
better said learning to wait on the LORD.
I want to be like the psalmist in the above passage stating
affirmatively “I will wait for the
LORD”. Just as His timing was perfect
for Jesus to be born, His timing for my life and your life is perfect as
well. I remind myself often that God is
not a genie in a bottle who is to grant my every wish and command.
While we are not OK with waiting, we are
encouraged by His Word to wait. (Ps, 27:14)
It’s easy for us to see on this side of the Christmas story how the wait
was worth it.
God may ask you to do something while you wait
to exercise your faith muscles or He may be teaching you to be still. Either way, it’s hard – just remember to keep
your batteries charged!
What are
you waiting on this Christmas?
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