Prophets, Patience, Advent

The spiritual life is about patience. The season of Advent draws us into an attitude of patience. When enduring patiently, it is helpful that you are not the only one who must wait. It is even comforting to know that others have waited before and perhaps even longer than you.

James 5:10-11 draws our attention to the patience of the prophets who foretold the events God would bring about in the world He created. Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.

When I take the patience of Isaiah who walked around naked for three years (Isaiah 20:3) as an example, then I don’t feel so bad about the patience God is asking of me. There is Jeremiah who never married and was cruelly tormented in a pit of excrement (Jeremiah 18). These same prophets were never far from the mind of Jesus. He spoke of them in Matthew 23:37: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.

When patience is accepted, it becomes perseverance. When we persevere, we will be rewarded. This happened for Job. This happened for the prophets if not in their lifetimes, then in eternity.

Advent is a perfect season to take in the promised reward. The culmination of Advent is the Feast of Nativity that has captured the heart of the whole world in becoming the holiday of Christmas. It’s an amazing reward. I spent a Christmas in the Middle East and found Santa Claus and Christmas Trees everywhere I ventured. The reward of Christmas enchants the world. Each Advent-Christmas we live out a spiritual reality. We can learn the truths that the prophets proclaimed through the season of Advent. We accept the wait with patience and receive the promised reward—the Good News of the Gospel.

Our personal waiting may take longer than we hoped. God explains that too. 2 Peter 3:9 says: The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. I need to keep God’s goodness in mind when I begin to feel inpatient with my life.

May the season of Advent draw your soul into the beauty and value of patience and waiting. May you wait with patience and discover the joy of waiting for what you hope for. May the prophets be the example of how to live your life.

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...

Soul Sister Time

Search This Blog