Advent: The Good News of ChristmasSample

Qavah: binding together, eagerly waiting, hoping for, expecting

I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in His Word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning.” Psalm 130:5–6

WAITING. I do a whole lot of waiting this time of year! How about you? We wait in long lines. We wait to see family. We wait for parties, and most of all, we wait for Christmas Day and all the joy and excitement it brings.

Some of us wait, hoping it will be over soon because it brings memories of loved ones and the way it once was. Some wait, looking for the busyness to end.

In researching the word “wait” in Hebrew and Greek, I hope to find a new way to wait this Christmas season. The first time the word “wait” is used in scripture is in Genesis 1:9, which says, “And God said, 'Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.'” The word “gathered” is actually “Qavah,” meaning binding together, eagerly waiting, hoping for, and expecting.

Now this idea of waiting changes my mindset in so many ways. To think that even the waters that covered the earth “waited” on God. The waters bound together, eagerly waiting for the plan of the Lord!

We should all have that mindset this Advent season. We are eagerly waiting, binding together as the Body of Christ, hoping and expecting Jesus to come into each and every life. Only Jesus brings the hope, love, joy, and peace that we all desperately seek.

Prayer:
Thank You, Lord, for Your best gift of Jesus! May we never disregard Your gift for it is the most precious, costly gift we freely receive. Lord, help us to greet Jesus each and every day with joy and thankfulness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.