WORTH THE WAIT

 NOVEMBER 24, 2022

Psalm 130:5

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits.”


This weekend we begin the season of Advent.
“Advent” means “coming”. When we believe that something is coming, we live in an in-between state. When friends or family are about to arrive at our home for a celebration we might run around tidying up, glancing at the clock or out the window. We are not yet experiencing the fullness of our guests’ presence, and at the same time we act in expectation of their appearance. 

Let me ask you, How have you approached Advent in the past? 

Has it centered around a chocolate a day calendar, or perhaps the lighting of special candles? Or maybe Advent as a season has been trampled under the rush to buy gifts, or planning parties and finishing up some work in order to be ready for some time off, and a little break?

Take a moment to jot down some of your previous experiences of Advent on a slip of paper, or in your notes APP on your phone.

What if, this year, you decided to dedicate Advent to waiting? What would it look like to not rush ahead but to pause, to anticipate, to be expectant?

The psalmist wrote about waiting for God with their “whole being”. They looked expectantly for God to come and restore them: “I wait for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning” (130:6).

Let’s not forget that this is the psalm which begins: “Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord.” This waiting is a result of struggle and hardship. The writer cries out to God for mercy, trusting in God’s faithfulness when all around them is crumbling.

I believe we all recognize that some waiting in our lives produces anxiety and impatience. This waiting creates frets and worries, as we try to hurry things along. 

But there is another kind of waiting, called a godly waiting, where with the psalmist we choose to “put our hope in the Lord” (130:7). During this Advent season lets us explore aspects of what it means to worship God in the waiting.

LET US PRAY