There are so many things we “wait” on this time of year. We wait to see friends and family. We wait for packages to arrive. Just a few more days until the Christmas Concert or the party, we say. And we wait.
It’s so hard for little kids to wait. If they have a present for you they want you to open it the minute its wrapped. If you have a present for them the same reaction holds true. “Can I open it now?”
There’s real joy associated with anticipation or waiting. I remember when Dave and I were dating. It was a long distance relationship with him living in southern California and me in Arizona. I would get so excited the days before his visits. I couldn’t wait to see him!
It’s the same type of anticipation and excitement that an expectant mother feels waiting for the arrival of their child.
Another word for anticipation is hope. What a wonderful thing it is to live with hope.
“I would have been without hope if I had not believed that I would see the loving-kindness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord. Be strong. Let your heart be strong. Yes, wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14 NLV
King David tells us that waiting on the Lord will strengthen us and fill us with hope. Isn’t that what Christmas is all about? Hope.
God sent His Son to earth to bring us hope. His gift of love gives us hope for our future.
“And Isaiah says, ‘Someone will come from Jesse’s family. He will come to rule over the nations, and they will put their hope in him.’ 13 I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:12-13 ERV
I’m not sure what you are hoping for. What is your heart anticipating?
When we put our hope in God we will never be disappointed. Our hope in God is like an anchor for our souls.
“I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers.” Jeremiah 29:11-12 CEV
It was this message of hope, hope in Christ the Savior, that Charles Wesley was expressing when he wrote this Christmas hymn in 1744.
1. Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
2. Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King, born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom bring. By thine own eternal spirit rule in all our hearts alone; by thine all sufficient merit, raise us to thy glorious throne.
Lord Jesus, hope of all the earth, fill our hearts with Your joy today and always!
Each morning I sit here with my Bible and my coffee, looking at the Christmas tree adorned with angels and tiny lights. I love it!
I think the thing that is most striking about this tree is there are no gifts beneath it and that gives me a real sense of peace, joy and contentment.
There were years when our children were younger and having no presents caused me heartache. I shed many tears wondering how the Lord was going to provide because we had no money for gifts. Frankly, we had very little money for food so it would have been foolish to think of trying to buy Christmas presents.
But this year is different. This year, and the last number of years, there has been a true contentment in celebrating the season with loving hearts and devotion. Yes, we have given gifts to the ones we love and we have received in kind. But the greater joy has come in thanking God for the many blessings He has abundantly given. Our lives are so filled with His love and provision that there is no wanting or needing anything more. Yes, the word is contentment.
With contentment comes peace. True heart-felt peace. The kind of peace that says all is well; no worries, anxiety or stress. The Bible refers to it as peace that by-passes our understanding. Peace that anchors us in every situation. It doesn’t mean that there is an absence of difficulty or problems, rather that there is a confidence in God that means all is well.
“Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. 7 Then,
because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that
no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way
you think and feel.
8 Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. 9 You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you…111 I am not complaining about having too little. I have learned to be satisfied with whatever I have. 12 I know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little. 13 Christ gives me the strength to face anything…19 I pray that God will take care of all your needs with the wonderful blessings that come from Christ Jesus!” Philippians 4:6-19 CEV
I remember a little chorus that I sang in Sunday School when I was just a girl. “What can I give Jesus, I want to do my part. What can I give Jesus, the love of all my heart. My hands and feet and money too; My praises and my song. I give them all to Jesus for all to Him belong.” The greatest gift we can give is the gift of our heart.
I know many of you have found your true contentment in Christ and have been living this way for years but perhaps there is someone you know who is struggling with the lack of peace and joy this Christmas because there aren’t any presents under the tree. I hope you will share with them what the Lord has taught you about trusting Him and the peace that brings.
In the last few lines of the Christmas Carol, O Christmas Tree, we are admonished to learn to trust in God. I hope you have found that lasting and abiding trust.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thy leaves are so unchanging; O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thy leaves are so unchanging; Not only green when summer’s here, But also when ’tis cold and drear. O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thy leaves are so unchanging!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Much pleasure thou can’st give me; O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Much pleasure thou can’st give me; How often has the Christmas tree Afforded me the greatest glee! O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Much pleasure thou can’st give me.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thy candles shine so brightly! O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thy candles shine so brightly! From base to summit, gay and bright, There’s only splendor for the sight. O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thy candles shine so brightly!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! How richly God has decked thee! O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! How richly God has decked thee! Thou bidst us true and faithful be, And trust in God unchangingly. O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! How richly God has decked thee! !”
I have had a number of occasions to overhear compliments on my children when people didn’t know who I was or even realize that I was standing close enough to hear. Those have been special times! It’s one thing when people come up to tell you something good about your kids and to thank you for “raising them right” but it’s entirely different when you overhear something complimentary in a conversation that you aren’t involved in.
Now put yourself in God, the Father’s, place. He knew the angels would come heralding the birth of His Son. He made sure it was announced properly. A light show filled the entire sky and the angelic chorus never sounded better as they sang His praises. Then those shepherds went to find His Son – they stood before the manger and oo-ed and awed when they saw Him for the first time.
“Everyone was surprised when they heard what the shepherds told them. 19
Mary continued to think about these things, trying to understand them.”
Luke 2:18-19 CEV
Then there were those wise men that traveled so far to find the child. All along the way, I’m sure folks asked where they were going and heard the story of how they had seen the star and now they had to find the child.
“Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea during the time when Herod was king. After Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. 2 They asked people, “Where is the child who has been born to be the king of the Jews? We saw the star that shows he was born. We saw it rise in the sky in the east and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-3 CEV
There’s one more testimony of Jesus I want us to look at this morning.
“41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. 42 When Jesus was twelve years old, they went to the festival as usual. 43 When the festival was over, they went home, but Jesus stayed in Jerusalem. His parents did not know about it…46 After three days they found him. Jesus was sitting in the Temple area with the religious teachers, listening and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and wise answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they wondered how this was possible. And his mother said, “Son, why did you do this to us? Your father and I were very worried about you. We have been looking for you…”51 Jesus went with them to Nazareth and obeyed them. His mother was still thinking about all these things. 52 As Jesus grew taller, he continued to grow in wisdom. God was pleased with him and so were the people who knew him.” Luke 2:41-52 CEV
Can you imagine the religious leaders talking among
themselves? Who is this young boy, he has such amazing knowledge of God?
He talks like someone who knows God personally – how can this be?
The Father was pleased with His Son, Jesus! Jesus said that the whole reason He came was to please the Father! We can only assume how great the love between the Father and the Son is. But now think about this, the Father loves us with that same great love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…”
We didn’t hear it but for all eternity, Jesus and the Father had been talking about us in heaven. Talking about how much they loved and how much it hurt that they didn’t have the relationship with us they desired to have. They wanted us to be close in spirit – they wanted us to come home on holidays, to talk with us daily, to share their thoughts and their love with us the way they did with Adam in the garden.
So they came up with a plan… “ But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us. 9 We have been made right with God by the blood sacrifice of Christ. So through Christ we will surely be saved from God’s anger. 10 I mean that while we were God’s enemies, he made friends with us through his Son’s death. And the fact that we are now God’s friends makes it even more certain that he will save us through his Son’s life. 11 And not only will we be saved, but we also rejoice right now in what God has done for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is because of Jesus that we are now God’s friends.” Romans 5:8-11 CEV
We’re not just friends but we have been adopted by the Father and called His sons and joint heirs with Jesus!
Now let me ask a question. Have you ever bragged about a gift you’ve received? Maybe it came from your spouse, your kids, your grandkids or a dear friend. It’s a gift that is so special and you feel so loved that you just have to brag about it, even when you don’t think the one who gave it to you is listening!
Well, I hope that’s how you feel about this wonderful gift, the gift of the Son. We need to brag on what God the Father has given us! One of the most performed songs at Christmas praises God for His wonderful gift.
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
‘Til He appears and the Spirit felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees; O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
[Verse 2]
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the Wise Men from Orient land
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend
[Verse 3]
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise His holy name
Christ is the Lord; O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim
His power and glory evermore proclaim
When you bring out your Christmas decorations where do you put your everyday stuff? Am I the only one who has to figure that out or do the rest of you have the same issue?
This is our fifth Christmas in this home and I’m still working on putting everything in a proper place so that we can get around the tree without knocking off the ornaments. Then there’s finding a place for the dining room table centerpiece and the things that had been on the coffee table. Everything has to go somewhere so we can enjoy the Christmas decorations.
This morning the grandkids will come for the weekend. The toybox will need to come out of the closet and we’ll make room for the race track, the puzzles and the blocks. I wouldn’t change one little thing, not for a moment, but there is some preparation involved.
As important as it is to prepare our homes it’s more important that we prepare our hearts. Things get cluttered and hurried. New things are added and they seem to crowd out the old. It can be stressful to say the least. Everything seems to be jostled and rearranged.
“Make Room. Prepare the space.”
There is an event recorded in Luke that I find really speaks to my heart.
“The Lord and his disciples were
traveling along and came to a village. When they got there, a woman
named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat down in front of the Lord and was listening to what he said. 40 Martha
was worried about all that had to be done. Finally, she went to Jesus
and said, “Lord, doesn’t it bother you that my sister has left me to do
all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!”
41 The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, 42 but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 CEV
I was such a Martha. Always scurrying about making sure everything was ready; the house was clean, the food prepared, bedrooms ready, porch swept, etc. So much to do and if it wasn’t all done I was stressed and couldn’t enjoy the company.
I learned from this story that it is more important to prepare my heart than it is my home. No one is really coming to see if the floors are clean and the house has been dusted. They are coming for a visit, a time of loving conversation, so I need to prepare my heart to welcome them in the same way I would welcome Christ.
For Mary, everything that was going on in the kitchen paled behind her focus on the Lord, the guest of honor, and what He was saying. She had prepared her heart to receive from Him. Jesus said that she had chosen the best part.
I want to receive the best that God has for me and I want to give His best to those around me. The Lord doesn’t want me stressed out and panicked. He wants me rested and trusting in Him. I’m learning to do that much more easily than I used to.
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you. And you will eat with me.” Revelation 3:20 ERV
When we hear Jesus calling our name, knocking at our hearts door, and asking for our time let’s make room immediately. Forget our agenda, drop everything and make time. That’s the response of a heart that has prepared room for the Lord.
Joy to the world Joy to the world Joy to the world, the Lord is come Let earth receive her King Let every heart prepare Him room And Heaven and nature sing And Heaven and nature sing And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature singJoy to the world Joy to the world Joy to the World, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy Repeat the sounding joy Repeat, repeat, the sounding joyJoy to the world, now we sing Let the earth receive her king Joy to the world, now we sing Let the angel voices ring Joy to the world, now we sing Let men their songs employ Joy to the world, now we sing Repeat the sounding joyOh oh He rules the world with truth and grace And makes the nations prove The light of His righteousness And wonders of His love And wonders of His love And wonders of His love And wonders, wonders, of His love And wonders, wonders, of His loveJoy to the world, now we sing Let the earth receive her king Joy to the world, now we sing Let the angel voices ring
I pray that every heart prepares room for the One who came to bring joy to the world.
I love music! Memorizing the lyrics of a song comes easy to me. Time and again I will be sitting alone and my heart and my head will break into song.
And music takes me places. I hear a song on the radio or on Pandora and it will take me to the first place I heard it or to a special time that’s marked in my memory. (I hope you don’t think I’m crazy)
One time that I remember particularly well was a Sunday morning in a small country church in Dillon, Montana. We had been singing from the hymn book and the song leader asked if anyone had a favorite song they’d like us to sing. There was an awkward silence and so the song leader asked a man sitting on the front row if he had a favorite song.
Don cleared his throat and said “Well the only church song I know is Our God Is An Awesome God.” The song leader was a bit embarrassed and quietly said, “Don, I don’t think I know that one.” To which Don replied, “That’s ok, God is Awesome anyway.”
I’ll never sing that chorus again without thinking of that time in a little country church that we didn’t sing Our God Is an Awesome God.
“Shout praises to the Lord, everyone on this earth. 2 Be joyful and sing as you come into worship the Lord! 3 You know the Lord is God! He created us,and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep in his pasture. 4 Be thankful and praise the Lord as you enter his temple. 5 The Lord is good! His love and faithfulness will last forever.” Psalm 100 CEV
All through the Bible there are verses about singing and even times where it says the Lord gave them a song. Paul and Silas were singing one night in prison. God enjoyed it so much He sent an earthquake to break them out.
“I will sing forever about the Lord’s love. I will sing about his faithfulness forever and ever! 2 I will say, “Your faithful love will last forever. Your loyalty is like the sky—there is no end to it!” Psalm 89:1-2 ERV
Not only does God like to hear us sing but He likes to sing too. He sings about us. His is a song of love and joy.
“The Lord your God wins victory after victoryand is always with you. He celebrates and sings because of you, and he will refresh your life with his love.”” Zephaniah 3:17 CEV
So, as you sit quietly this morning, listen for Him. Do you hear Him singing? He sings because He loves you!
So it was important for me to pull back and get the right perspective and change my attitude – it happens sometimes, not proud of it but I am grateful that God is patient with me and continues to help me grow.
Two passages of Scripture that I have never put together before came jumping out at me. One is written by Paul and the other by James. Both sections I have seen and shared separately but I don’t think I’ve ever seen the correlation between the two, not like I have now.
“We have been made right with God because of our faith. So we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through our faith, Christ has brought us into that blessing of God’s grace that we now enjoy. And we are very happy because of the hope we have of sharing God’s glory. 3 And we are also happy with the troubles we have. Why are we happy with troubles? Because we know that these troubles make us more patient. 4 And this patience is proof that we are strong. And this proof gives us hope. 5 And this hope will never disappoint us. We know this because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts through the Holy Spirit he gave us.” Romans 5:1-5 ERV
Troubles don’t come from God but can be used by Him if we keep our focus on the Father and not the problem. When we cast our care (trouble) over on the Lord he takes it and works it out. We need to be patient in the process, knowing that He hasn’t forgotten us but is working on our behalf. That’s what produces the hope we have and when we hope in Him we will never be disappointed.
Now look at what James says:
“My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of trouble. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. 3 You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. 4 If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be.
5 Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to everyone. So he will give you wisdom. 6 But when you ask God, you must believe. Don’t doubt him. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is blown up and down by the wind. 7-8 People like that are thinking two different things at the same time. They can never decide what to do. So they should not think they will receive anything from the Lord.” James 1:2-8 ERV
The hard part of these verses is the “you will have many kinds of trouble. But this gives you a reason to be very happy“. I admit I have been having one particular trouble for a quite a while now and some days I find very little to be happy about. Yesterday was one of those days.
However, I was able to find joy before day’s end. No, it had not been resolved but I came to the place where I was able to stop looking at the circumstance and could look to the Lord and trust Him to take care of me. (this is a continual thing, some days I do better than others)
Letting patience work in us will have a good result…if you’re uncertain about this and need wisdom, ask God is will give it freely. But don’t doubt God, He loves us and is working in our lives and on our circumstances.
I once read that patience is not learning to wait but how we act while we are waiting. True that. Yes, Lord; I desire to wait with joy. The work You are doing in me is much more important than the work You are doing for me.
To say my heart is full of joy is an understatement.
Yesterday was spent with family and friends. We celebrated a birthday in the morning and had dinner with dear friends in the evening. When I looked back at my FB posts on this date from years ago I saw postings of visits in AZ, meeting friends for breakfast at the restaurant but each post said we would be heading back to Montana soon.
I found this post from 6 years ago and knew I had to share it with you. I remember writing this and the heart ache I felt. I wanted to be in Arizona so badly. Our home had been for sale for over 5 years and there was no buyer in sight.
The reason I feel compelled to share this is I know that there are some out there who also have aching hearts. You have been waiting to see your heart’s desire come to pass and you are waiting just like I was when I wrote this.
Little did I know that in another 20 months we would be moving into our new Arizona home. Don’t be discouraged. God is working out your plan, moving things into position so that you can take possession.
Chin up!
Now here’s how I was feeling 6 years ago: My Father and I have been talking for quite a while this morning. We have another 2 days in AZ and are leaving the Phoenix area today to head to my mom’s in Yuma and then we head home via California.
My heart is heavy – I love this area and had hopes that this would be the trip we would be able to find a home, make an offer and get ready to come back. It hasn’t happened yet but it still can.
As I was repeating my heart’s desire to my Father this morning; I had to remember all I have to be thankful for. Top of the list is His wonderful faithfulness. I can’t be focused on what I don’t have but rather on what He has provided and His constant and abiding love.
My greatest desire is to honor Him in all that I do so with tears in my eyes, I chose to give Him my desire for a home in Arizona and to be content wherever I am and finding delight in Him.
A small thing to some but in my life, not so much.
“… for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Philippians 4:11
So today I will take joy, peace and contentment in what God has provided for me in Montana. I will look forward and not back and trust. I’ll let Him change my desires.
“Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalm 37:4
What are you struggling with today – be honest with your Father and let Him give you a new perspective – let Him shape and mold your desires.
“I ask only one thing from the Lord. This is what I want most: Let me live in the Lord’s house all my life, enjoying the Lord’s beauty and spending time in his palace. 5 He will protect me when I am in danger.He will hide me in his tent.He will take me up to his place of safety.” Psalm 27:4-5 ERV
Can you hear it…the giggles, the laughter, the squeals?
Do you remember being like these kids? What fun it was to run through the sprinkler and play with such abandon. I love it.
So does the Lord.
“Shout praises to the Lord, everyone on this earth. 2 Be joyful and sing as you come in to worship the Lord. 3 You know the Lord is God! He created us, and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep in his pasture.” Psalm 100:1-3 CEV
There are so many verses written about joy. I can find 187 verses in the King James Bible with 34 of those being in the Book of Psalms. King David knew a thing about joy – he lead a procession, dancing with joy for all the Lord had done.
Another verse from Psalms that means a lot to me is this:
“You make the path of life known to me. Complete joy is in your presence.Pleasures are by your side forever.” Psalm 16:11 GW
Complete joy, that’s what I see in those kids playing in the sprinkler. Not a care in the world, absolute joy in the moment. God wants us to find that type of complete joy in Him. I don’t know where people got the idea that God’s wants us to be unhappy, scowling and miserable. Far from it!
Paul told the Christians at the church in Philippi to rejoice always. Get that, ALWAYS! How is that even possible? Look at his explanation.
“Always be joyful in the Lord! I’ll say it again: Be joyful! 5 Let everyone know how considerate you are. The Lord is near. 6 Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. 7 Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, keep your thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise: things that are true, honorable, fair, pure, acceptable, or commendable.” Philippians 4:4-8 GW
Always joyful, never worry. God is working on our behalf. He can handle the needs and requests we bring to Him. When we keep thinking about things that are good, honorable and true we are focusing on the Lord. We have placed ourselves in His presence because we are allowing Him to occupy our thoughts.
When things go wrong we can still have joy.
“ My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. 3 You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. 4 But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.” James 1:2-4 CEV
In the King James version, it says “Count it all joy”. Really, count it joy when you fall into temptations – really? Yes, because the joy comes from knowing that you’re not in this alone! God has promised to never leave us or abandon us. He is constantly with us so that means we are in His presence and in His presence there is fullness of joy!
Joy in knowing we are not alone, joy in knowing that we aren’t operating under our own power or our own wisdom, joy to know that He has created us to be victorious! And when we realize all of that, we are growing and maturing, becoming more Christ-like .
In John 16, Jesus was talking with his disciples the night before His crucifixion. He was giving them last minute instructions. He told them that they would all abandon Him and that He would be alone but He quickly added that the Father would be with Him so He wouldn’t really be alone. (In His presence is fullness of joy)!
He then told the disciples that they would have troubles in this world. Not as big as the crucifixion but troubles all the same. His next words may have seemed strange to them.
He said “Be of good cheer (find joy), for I have overcome the world”.
“The time is coming, and is already here, when all of you will be scattered. Each of you will go your own way and leave me all alone. Yet, I’m not all alone, because the Father is with me. 33 I’ve told you this so that my peace will be with you. In the world you’ll have trouble. But cheer up! I have overcome the world.” John 16:32-33 GW
Jesus had just told them how he was overcoming the trials in His life – He wasn’t looking for the support of friends and followers but He was simply looking to the One who would never leave Him, the Father, and in the Father’s presence is victory and fullness of joy.
Search for your joy today. It’s not in things, it’s not in people and it’s not based on circumstances. Fullness of joy comes from spending time in the Father’s presence.
As we give Him our time He will fill us joy. Take a run through the sprinklers, laugh, giggle, be joy-filled!
Do you dread waiting? Do these thoughts lodge in your thinking? Is it ever going to happen; why do I have to wait so long; I might as well give up and do something else, etc.
When we are waiting for God’s provision and His promises to be fulfilled it should fill us with excitement and anticipation, much the same as a pregnant woman waiting to give birth, waiting to hold her child for the first time. It should be similar to the child waiting to go to the circus or on a special fishing trip with Grandpa.
Each day we are one day closer to the expected goal, our hopes are high!
Waiting for one of God’s promises to be visible starts with hope and grows into faith.
“Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see. 2 God was pleased with the people who lived a long time ago because they had faith like this.” Hebrews 11:1-2
Waiting is what Abraham did for 25 years. Waiting for God’s promise to come to pass in the birth of a son, Abraham was excited!
“There was no hope that Abraham would have children, but Abraham believed God and continued to hope. And that is why he became the father of many nations. As God told him, “You will have many descendants.” 19 Abraham was almost a hundred years old, so he was past the age for having children. Also, Sarah could not have children. Abraham was well aware of this, but his faith in God never became weak. 20 He never doubted that God would do what he promised. He never stopped believing. In fact, he grew stronger in his faith and just praised God. 21 Abraham felt sure that God was able to do what he promised.” Romans 4:18-21
Joseph knew God had made him a promise that he would rule over his brothers and that they would bow before him. He held on to that promise. However, he first experienced being sold into slavery, serving in a foreigner’s house, being falsely accused of rape. He was imprisoned and forgotten.
Eventually he was called before Pharaoh and exalted to second in command in all of Egypt. He experienced all of this with hope and without bitterness. Hope that the promise God made him would be kept.
“So Joseph said to his brothers again, “Come here to me. I beg you, come here.” When the brothers went to him, he said to them, “I am your brother Joseph. I am the one you sold as a slave to Egypt. 5 Now don’t be worried. Don’t be angry with yourselves for what you did. It was God’s plan for me to come here. I am here to save people’s lives. 6 This terrible famine has continued for two years now, and there will be five more years without planting or harvest. 7 So God sent me here ahead of you so that I can save your people in this country. 8 It was not your fault that I was sent here. It was God’s plan. God made me like a father to Pharaoh. I am the governor over all his house and over all Egypt.” Genesis 45:4-8
Jesus discounted the pain and anguish of dying on the cross and becoming sin for all mankind by looking past it to see what God had promised – the salvation and restoration of man in relationship to God.
“We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne. 3 Think about Jesus. He patiently endured the angry insults that sinful people were shouting at him. Think about him so that you won’t get discouraged and stop trying.” Hebrews 12:2-3
Nothing I have ever had to wait for compares with the depth of these examples.
We have the ability to replace dread with expectation; frustration with hope and disappointment with peace. We are one day closer to seeing God’s promise fulfilled.
Be joyful, be excited because God is doing a mighty work and He can be trusted to keep His word!
As a young girl I grew up in Yuma, Az, home of the famous Yuma Territorial Prison.
It was a horrible place. One where they sent the worst offenders. I remember going to those ruins as a child. It was a tourist attraction, somewhere we took all our visiting relatives.
When I was in High School we continued to go up to Prison Hill to tour the buildings and the grounds. You see our High School mascot was a “criminal”. We were known as the Yuma Crims because when the High School was started they used the abandoned prison as its classrooms.
But as an adult I took time to think about the horrendous conditions those prisoners and guards must have endured. The heat, the darkness of the cells, the venomous desert creatures, the lack of ventilation. The heat!
Drawing from that history, I have tried to think of what it must have been like to be imprisoned during Bible days. The conditions really couldn’t have been any better and in fact, may have been much worse.
Now think of those who were innocent and imprisoned. How hopeless they must have felt. Needing someone to believe their innocence and fight for their release. How could those conditions be anything but devastating?
Paul & Silas had been beaten and imprisoned on many occasions for speaking about the good news of Christ’s saving power, the gospel. In Acts 16 they are once again imprisoned. Once again they were praising God for being counted worthy to be treated with contempt for the Gospel’s sake.
And as they praised God, the place was shaken – the prison doors came open, their chains fell off and they were freed, they and all the other prisoners around them. The jailer was distraught and ready to take his life when Paul called to him out of the night and told him they were all there. No one had escaped.
Then Paul & Silas shared the Gospel with the jailer and he and his entire household were saved! Paul & Silas were always ready to talk of the love of Jesus and they were greatly persecuted for it. But they also saw great evidence of God’s power working on their behalf.
They could sing at midnight in a jail cell after being beaten because they knew nothing in their lives, bad or good, could even begin to compare to the love God had shown them through His wonderful gift of salvation. They didn’t flee from the prison cell when their chains fell off because they were already free – free from sin, free from man’s opinions, free to live a life in the power of the Holy Spirit.
“After they had been badly beaten, they were put in jail, and the jailer was told to guard them carefully. 24 The jailer did as he was told. He put them deep inside the jail and chained their feet to heavy blocks of wood.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, while the other prisoners listened. 26 Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the jail to its foundations. The doors opened, and the chains fell from all the prisoners.
27 When the jailer woke up and saw that the doors were open, he thought that the prisoners had escaped. He pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! No one has escaped.”
29 The jailer asked for a torch and went into the jail. He was shaking all over as he knelt down in front of Paul and Silas. 30 After he had led them out of the jail, he asked, “What must I do to be saved?”31 They replied, “Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! This is also true for everyone who lives in your home.”
32 Then Paul and Silas told him and everyone else in his house about the Lord. 33 While it was still night, the jailer took them to a place where he could wash their cuts and bruises. Then he and everyone in his home were baptized. 34 They were very glad that they had put their faith in God. After this, the jailer took Paul and Silas to his home and gave them something to eat.” Acts 16:23-34 CEV
Father, show me how to sing at midnight. Let me praise You in my toughest moments. Remind me that in all things You have the power to open the prison door. I am free because You purchased my freedom.
“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free for sure.” John 8:36 NLV
