Waiting for something or someone can be excruciating and exhausting. It can also be lonely and discouraging. Times of waiting can become all-consuming; we find ourselves incapable of doing anything else while we wait.
December presents us with Advent – the perfect liturgical season to explore what the Bible teaches us about waiting. And as we count down to Christmas, remember this:
Waiting time is not wasted time.
The word ‘advent’ comes from the Latin adventus meaning ‘the coming of’ and ‘the arrival of’. As Christians, it is a season of disciplined waiting. Psalm 126 is a profound passage of Scripture for Advent. It is a song about joy remembered and joy anticipated. It is a song about waiting patiently and expectantly. Slowly read verses 1-6 (NIV) of this psalm:
Verses 1-3: When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
Verse 4: Restore our fortunes, Lord,
like streams in the Negev.
Verses 5-6: Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.
Here are three takeaways from Psalm 126 . . .
Advent reflects on the faithfulness of God.
While you wait, remember what God has already done. As described in verses 1-3, past miracles give us present hope for future miracles.
Advent celebrates the anticipated arrival of Jesus Christ.
While you wait, express to God the desires of your heart. As depicted in verse 4, present dry places are future flourishing places.
Advent looks forward to the second coming of Christ.
While you wait, trust that God is always working on your behalf. As declared in verses 5-6, present seed time and toil lead to a future harvest.
Reflect on the following:
Advent is about waiting, anticipating, yearning. Advent is the question, the pleading, and Christmas is the answer to the question, the response to the howl. There are moments in this season when I don’t feel a lot like Christmas, but I do feel like Advent…
Shauna Niequist
Advent says the baby is coming, but he isn’t here yet, that hope is on its way, but the yearning is still very real… Thank God for a season that understands longing and loneliness and long nights.
Let yourself fall open to Advent, to anticipation, to the belief that what is empty will be filled, what is broken will be repaired, and what is lost can always be found, no matter how many times it’s been lost.
May this Advent fill you with peace, hope and joy while you wait. May you grow in faith and character as you live from the revelation that waiting time is not wasted time. Amen.
