Friday, December 2, 2005
Psalm 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.
ARE YOU GOOD AT WAITING?
How good are you at waiting? Often we find that our ability to wait depends on the circumstances. If we are in a hurry, waiting is difficult. If the person telling us to wait doesn't seem to care about what our situation is, waiting is difficult. But, if you are out fishing, waiting is acceptable, but only if everyone else fishing around you is waiting too. If everyone else seems to be catching fish but you are not, then waiting becomes difficult again.
One of Advent's themes is "waiting". The first of the four candles, the prophecy candle, symbolizes the some 4,000 years of waiting that God's Old Testament people had before Jesus finally did come. But the waiting was not without its goal. And all through that long wait gave His people prophecies reminding them of what, or rather Who, was to come.
We find the Lord time and again reminding His people through the sacrifices of those lambs, through the example of people like Moses, and through the words which He had spoken through those who were serving as His mouthpieces. People like Balaam, who spoke of "the star that would come out of Jacob and the Scepter that would arise out of Israel" -- or Micah, who spoke of Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Savior; Isaiah who spoke of His sufferings, or the countless other prophecies that the Lord had written down. So while, yes, it is true that there was a long time of waiting, the waiting was not without God's witness of what -- and Who -- was to come!
So it is our prayer that God's blessings would be on us during these days of our waiting for His coming -- knowing that He will fulfill each and every promise He has given us, just as He did in Old Testament times!
