Waiting

Why we need to re-learn this important virtue.

“Wait for it!” has become a pretty popular meme for funny video shorts. But the truth is, we’ve become a culture that doesn’t want to wait - for anything.

The fruit of our impatience is annoyance, restlessness, irritation, anxiety, impetuosity, and agitation.

Even our expectations have changed. We say things like, “It shouldn’t take this long,” or “It never used to take this long.” When in reality, most things used to take longer. And if we timed how long “it shouldn’t take this long” took, we would be shocked by how little time we actually spend waiting.

The holidays, which now start in July to give us plenty of time to prepare, just seem to make everything worse. Now we have an actual day, December 25th, that we are all forced to wait for!

“And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again!”

Yet amidst all the noise and tumult of the season, God whispers, “There’s a better way.”

The season of Advent teaches us to wait. And waiting produces patience, which is a fruit of the Spirit.

Waiting acknowledges that we’re not in control. It teaches us to trust God rather than our circumstances. It deepens our faith as we begin to recognize that He has a perfect plan and purpose for our lives.

There is more going on here than tinsel and lights. Advent is the unveiling of God’s redemptive plan for all humanity. A mystery so powerful that angels long to “look into these things.” (1 Peter 1:12; Eph 3:8-13)

As we wait, we listen. God speaks through the voices of the Old Testament prophets. Beginning with Moses, He reveals His wondrous plan. The promise of a Messiah, a Savior.

“‘And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.’” (Gen 3:15)

Some promises require maturity, and so, “when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,” (Gal 4:4)

The Jews had been waiting a very long time. God had been silent for 400 years. But He had never been absent. God’s delay is never rejection, but preparation.

And here’s the best news of all! The great mystery (truth revealed) Paul speaks about in his letters. A revelation so wonderful that the angels marvel and shout for joy!

The Savior has come - but not just to the Jews - to all men. Gentile (non-Jew) and Jew alike.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17, emphasis mine)

So, we wait in the reality of having already received. We wait because the darkness of this world can blind us to the truth of His presence in our lives. We need to be reminded of the Light. Of why He came, the way He came.

We need to learn why we are still waiting for His return and what He is preparing us to do.

So, as this 2nd Sunday of Advent becomes a memory, let’s continue to unwrap His gift to us. As we return to our daily reading of His word*, let us listen for His voice amid our holiday traditions.

May He reveal His purpose to you as you wait.

Shalom.

* You can find this year’s daily Scripture Advent in my Substack notes, on my Facebook page, or in my IG feed.

Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@olesichka

AI Disclaimer: No part of this blog was written by bots. Every word, typo, grammatical error, and witticism is lovingly and/or accidentally crafted by my own two (very human) hands.