I
remember the Christmas Eve I heard Santa Claus arrive on the roof of
our house. I heard him calling out to his reindeer. I don't recall
how old I was at the time. And, well maybe I really didn't hear him
arrive. However my mom and dad did, and they asked me whether I did.
Of course, I had to say yes. I then became my parent's pawn,
influencing my siblings to get to sleep so Santa and his reindeer
wouldn't pass over us.
Imagine how difficult it was to keep my eyes shut tight waiting for Santa to deliver his treasures. He was so close. If I didn't get to sleep soon it would have been an unmitigated disaster. There I was waiting for Santa and waiting for sleep.
Imagine how difficult it was to keep my eyes shut tight waiting for Santa to deliver his treasures. He was so close. If I didn't get to sleep soon it would have been an unmitigated disaster. There I was waiting for Santa and waiting for sleep.
Children
don't wait very well on Christmas Eve. I have concluded that waiting
doesn't come any easier to adults either. One of my friends is
waiting for God's next call and assignment in his life. In a recent
blog
he commented that, “waiting is the hardest thing we do.” Waiting
is also the source of a lot of uncertainty and anxiety.
One
of the themes of Advent is waiting. The people of God waited over 400
years for a “Word from the Lord.” Finally their wait was over as
the “Word became flesh and dwelt among us” in
the birth of Jesus.
Like
my friend I agree that waiting is the hardest discipline of life.
More so now than ever, we have grown accustomed and addicted to
instant delivery of our heart's desire. We live in a world of instant
downloads and instant potatoes. Email was once the cutting edge of
communicating supplanting snail mail. Now Email has taken a back seat
to texting and internet chat. In days past we would wait in line at
the theater to see the latest installment from Hollywood. Then came
the VCR revolution, Blockbuster Video, Netflix, Redbox, and video on
demand. You get the idea.
In
spite of all our technical advancements God still has a way of making
us wait. Waiting and faith go hand in hand. Hebrews 11 is the great
“hall of faith” chapter of the Bible. Verse 13 reads, “These
all died in faith without having received the promises, but they saw
them from a distance.”
David
begins Psalm
27
confident
in the Lord's attentiveness. However his confidence suffers beginning
in verse 7. In fact, he begins to wonder whether or not the Lord is
even listening to him. Something within his spirit encourages him to
still seek the Lord. With renewed confidence he concludes, "Yet
I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in
the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and
courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord."
Advent
is about faith and waiting. What are you waiting on God for this
year?
