In the waiting

As a kid, December moved at a glacial pace. Christmas just took forever to arrive.

(Cue the dramatic sensibilities of a nine-year-old girl.) Of course, as an adult, this month moves by so quickly it almost gives me whiplash.

This week I revisited the promises made to Abraham about the Messiah. God told him that all the nations would be blessed by him in Genesis 12:3. The very first Messianic prophecy was spoken to the patriarch of the Jewish faith.

Pause and consider that, friends: the first time God calls a man to Himself, He points to the Messiah. Not just that, but He also mentions that this hope would be for “all the peoples.” 

That means we’re not an afterthought, gang. The Gentiles were always in God’s heart, from the very beginning. That kernel of truth always encourages me. But it wasn’t what stood out to me this week.

It was the waiting that snagged my thoughts.

Matthew 1:17 records fourteen generations from Abraham to David. And another fourteen from David to Jesus. Hundreds of years. That makes my anxious childhood wait of 25 measly days for Christmas to arrive seem like the blink of an eye.

As the legacy of the Abrahamic covenant was passed down through the generations did they grow uncertain, skeptical, or even cynical about the veracity of those words? Did they discount the promise because it wasn’t coming to fruition on their timeline? I wonder.

But He came.

I wonder if we’re any different. During Advent we sit in a season of hopeful expectation, awaiting the annual commemoration of Jesus’ birth. We’ve certainly become a bit jaded about that, haven’t we?

Yet we remain in a period of expectant waiting for Jesus’ second coming as well. As the centuries since Jesus’ birth and death have slipped away, have we forgotten His promise to return? Do we treat Revelation as merely a fanciful story or lore from antiquity?

Imagine the heart-stopping thrill of realizing the long awaited Messiah had been born. Fashion yourself in the fields with the shepherds that night. And allow that emotion to restore to you a more tangible sense of anticipation about His return.

For what have you been waiting a long time, friends? A spouse? Healing of an illness, addiction… or a broken relationship? The addition of a child to your family? Relief from financial burdens? For your kids to finally outgrow that ugly “phase” they’re currently in?

Whatever it might be in your life, would you let it drive you closer to the One whose promises are sure? Our desires may not be couched in God’s promises. Even those that are may not be fulfilled while we draw breath. But we know He is faithful and never forgets His people (Isaiah 49:15).

He is in the waiting.