He’s in the waiting…

“Waiting” is a word I often associate with Advent. Waiting for the celebration of Christ coming to earth. Waiting for Him to come again. Waiting for Him to show up in our lives here and now.

Another blog post I read earlier this week talked about all the times the word or the concept of “wait” is found in just the first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel… Elizabeth and Zechariah waiting decades for a child, Mary and Jospeh waiting to see what in the world God was up to as they navigated unknown circumstances, and Simeon and Anna watching for the long awaited Messiah. Sometimes when I think of waiting, I think it’s simply about trusting God while passing time until He shows up. Listening to some music as I got ready this morning, these words struck me:

“Take courage, my heart; Stay steadfast, my soul; He’s in the waiting; He’s in the waiting” – Take Courage by Bethel Music

It’s less about me waiting for God to show up… and more about realizing He can be found IN the waiting. For Elizabeth and Zechariah, Mary and Joseph, Simeon and Anna, you, and me– Jesus doesn’t just come at the end of the period of time before an answer comes, He’s walking with us every step of the way.

It’s true for many things in life we do have to wait for an answer, a situation to resolve, a breakthrough in a tough circumstance. When that’s true it feels as if we’re waiting on God to show up wondering “when will He come through?”

The truth I’m learning is that He’s already here. THAT’S the message of Christmas: Emmanuel–God WITH us.

So… take courage,

stay steadfast,

look around:

He’s HERE…

IN the waiting.

And He is faithful.