King of Kings: An Advent Plan by New Life ChurchSample

This is the season leading up to Christmas Day—days of hope and expectation as we remember the arrival of a child that an entire nation of people once waited thousands of years for. Yet how often does an expectation turn to discontentment—or even pain—as our waiting starts to seem like it’s no longer a part of the process but a permanent state of being? As if someone was paving a road through the wilderness and just suddenly decided to stop right in the middle. 

If we can see anything in the story of Jesus, it’s that a promise so often comes through a process. That miracle you are waiting for would be amazing if it came in the snap of a second. . . . But there is a depth and richness in the process of walking with God faithfully, daily, side-by-side in the waiting. Lean into the presence of God in the quiet as well as in the chaos. How beautiful to find God in the promises fulfilled. But know that He is just as real and available to you in the times of waiting. 

Throughout the years of our church, we’ve seen so many people who were believing for a child, healing, or other dream, but they continued to have to wait for their miracle. As they watched the Lord move on behalf of others’ desires, they took heart knowing that He could also do it for them. Waiting with this kind of attitude shifted these people from a perspective of helplessness to confidence. Let’s learn from this example and, instead of waiting in despair or fear, let’s be people who choose to wait in faith.

Application: As you find yourselves in places of waiting today—whether it’s in the grocery store or a meeting at work—take note of what’s going on around you rather than focusing on where you can’t be right then. How might God be moving around you? How can you move closer to Him in the waiting? Lean in to the present.