Waiting on Waiting

Advent is the season of waiting. Even the colors of the candles witness the anticipation of waiting. The first three candles that you light are traditionally purple, while the fourth candle is pink signifying the approaching light of Christ on Christmas.

Although the waiting of Advent is familiar and easy to calculate, it persistently calls us back to an uncomfortable reality. We are longing for, desiring, and anticipating what we really want but don’t quite have. Waiting is uncomfortable.

Although I can be sure that December 25 will come, many of the realities I wait for are not as certain. Either way, waiting is rarely comfortable and never fun.

Advent has taught me how to wait. It shows me the value of patience, anticipation and the value of waiting before you receive.

Jesus shows me how to wait. As I wait on Him, He is waiting for me. I am almost learning to find joy in waiting by learning the joy of waiting at Advent. I’m not quite there, but I want to learn to wait like Jesus.

Even the story of Immanuel is a message of waiting. The Nation of Israel had been waiting on their Messiah for hundreds of years before Jesus revealed Himself as the long-awaited anointed One. It Thirty years after the angelic appearance to Mary and Joseph’s angelic dreams Jesus made it evident that He was the Son of God, the One they had been looking for. Jesus Himself waited for God’s direction and His perfect timing before He showed the world who God really is by His miracles, teachings and witness.

Jesus told us that He couldn’t wait to have the Passover Dinner with the disciples on the eve of His arrest. He too is waiting for the day that He will be united with His complete Bride (all Christians who believe in Him) at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Mark 14:25 says: Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. Jesus is waiting for us. Luke reveals Jesus eagerly waited for something: And he said to them, I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer (Luke 22:15).

I’m learning to wait like Jesus. He trusts God’s perfect timing. I’m even recognizing that when I wait for something, I begin to value it much more. I also recognize that I grow in the process of waiting. The simple act of waiting has a reason and a purpose in itself.

This Advent I welcome the exercise of waiting. I will be thankful for each day that brings my waiting closer to the object of my wait. And when I find myself at Christmas with the waiting over, I will also remember that I am still waiting for the return of Christ to earth. Waiting is worth the wait!

A Pilgrimage that Started with Tears

Who would think I would shed tears deciding to set out on a wonderful journey that I have longed to take for many years? Before I was ready to fully accept God’s invitation for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, I had to journey to a place of agreement between what my soul wanted and what the Lord wanted for me. For years I have been declining opportunities to travel to Israel—not because I didn’t want to go but because I wanted to go with my husband by my side. I know that God could have arranged that for me, but instead He asked me to accept that He wanted me to be willing to go and leave everything behind. When I was asked to make a decision about going on a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem, God gave me this verse in answer to my prayer -- Debi, observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are cr...

The Bliss of Knowing You are Loved by God

There is bliss of knowing that you are loved by a real and intimate God. I have felt that bliss. I don’t experience it all the time and sometimes it takes me a while to notice how much I miss it. Often I come back to my senses when I read the spiritual writings of one who is explaining how great God is and I am reminded how good He is to me. I suppose the saints stayed more connected to the bliss of God on a regular basis and missed it far less than me. I wish I knew their secret; all I can tell you is that it is a cycle for me to find myself unaware of God for a time. It is often a struggle to reconnect each day. What brought me to my senses recently was a huge blessing He sent my way. This good thing literally came to me directly from the hand of God. I didn’t even consider sharing the joy I was ...

Why Me?

When something tragic or unexpected happens, our first question seems to be, Why me? It’s only human to feel this way and wonder why life has got to be so hard. God has helped me look at my unwanted circumstances with a different question. Rather than keep the focus on my pain and ask, Why me? I focus on Him and wonder, How can You be glorified when everything is going wrong? Adding one more word to that question makes a huge difference spiritually and opens my soul to find so much more than just my pain. Another way to look at life’s tragedies is, Why not me ? Sure, we each have our own amount of personal sorrows. These are the kind of sorrows that have no answers. We can't explain away death, cancer, rape, bankruptcy and other heartaches. It is easier to explain...

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