Active Waiting

Waiting

Listen instead of reading. Listen Here

Where has the year gone? Advent begins next week. As we draw closer to the end of another year, I wish I could sit with each of you near a crackling fireplace with a warm drink, and hear about the many ways God has moved in your life this year. Throughout my life, I have learned that much of my spiritual growth has come from trials and waiting. I want to sit with you, hold your hand, and pray with you as you journey through the hard times of life. Even though we may not be physically close, always remember I am an email away and would love to pray for you and encourage you.

I am terrible at waiting. Our “on-demand,” delivery service world has created within us a need to have things now. Montana is a little behind in the delivery sector, so we still have to wait a day or two for things, unlike big cities that can order and items show up within the hour. Having to wait seems so ‘yesterday.’

Slip-And-Slide

When I was seven years old, I wanted a slip-and-slide more than anything. Well, I wanted an in ground pool more than anything, but that wasn’t happening, so a slip-and-slide was the next best thing in my world. I wanted desperately for my parents to take me shopping and buy me one right then. The advertising on TV made it look like so much fun.

We did not go shopping, and they told me I needed to earn it. This is where a very sad faced emoji should go.

My birthday came a few weeks later, and I got seven whole dollars at my party. In 1980-something, seven dollars was a lot of money for this little girl, but it was only half of what I needed to get the shiny yellow sheet of plastic that I longed for. My mom and her god-mother took me to K-mart, and we shopped for my slip-and-slide. They agreed to buy it if I would pay half.

Sheer delight went through me when I saw that slip-and-slide box glide along the conveyer belt toward the lady checking us out. I could not wait to get home. I was going home to put on my swimsuit and have the neighborhood kids come and join me on my new toy.

Waiting those few weeks to get my toy felt like forever. That was just the first of many times I have had to wait. I am still waiting for the Sweet Pickles Bus to show up at my door. Anyone else?

Life seems like a series of periods of waiting. As an adult, the waiting went from things I wanted, to waiting for a house to sell, waiting on lab test results, and/or waiting for a job offer. The waiting is still there. It just got harder and more life changing.

Waiting For The Messiah

There is no one that waited longer, though, than those who waited for the Messiah. Some waited and never saw Him in their lifetime. We read the first prophecy of Jesus as early as Genesis 3:15, “He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel” (NLT). Centuries went by before the cries of the newborn baby Jesus were heard in the manger in Bethlehem.

My mind goes straight to Anna as she rejoiced over the baby Messiah. The scripture says, “She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38 NLT).

Active Waiting

Over the next weeks of Advent, I want us to look at active waiting. What does it look like to actively wait? How did those expecting for the Messiah wait? Did they sit and passively wait for the coming king, or did they take a more active role in preparing the way?

Through Advent, we will look at what it means for us to actively wait on God. Over the next four weeks, we will look at four words: expectancy, prepared, comfort and reward.

We will look at living with an active expectancy to see God at work, and preparing the way for what He will do in our lives. We will look at comfort, because even though the wait might be long, He never leaves us or forsakes us. Last, we will look at reward. God says in Genesis 15:1 NLT, “and your reward will be great.” Jesus is the ultimate reward. His death and resurrection give us the greatest gift we could ever dream of.

What Are You Waiting For?

What are you waiting for right now? Are you waiting for your prodigal to return? Has God promised you something and you are waiting to see it come to fruition? Or do you feel like you might be in a holding pattern, waiting to see what will come next? Wherever you find yourself waiting, I hope you will join me on this journey through Advent to see how we can play an active role in the waiting process.

"Wherever you find yourself waiting, I hope you will join me on this journey through Advent to see how we can play an active role in the waiting process. Click To Tweet

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