December 5 Devotion

Waiting!“Blessed are they who wait on Him” (Isaiah 30:18)

Lectionary reading: II Samuel 7:18-29

Waiting! There’s a word which brings images to mind for even the most patient person. “Your call will be answered in the order it is received; please wait for the next available representative.” “Please take a number and wait until your number is called.” There are waiting rooms for professional buildings, medical settings and the all too familiar waiting area in airports. With fewer and fewer customer service centers in the retail sector, the wait in the check out line can feel like forever. It seems that the busier we are, especially in these December days, the more challenging it is to wait.

Numerous passages in the Bible, however, speak of another kind of waiting that the passive, sometimes frustrating or stressful ones described above. This type of waiting is focused and centered on God. Andrew Murray, a prolific Christian writer from the previous century who lived and pastored from the Cape of South Africa, wrote among many devotional books one entitled Waiting on God. “As Christians, it is our privileged birthright to enter into a daily time of reverent meditation and silence waiting on God.” And so, in this Advent Season, a time of expectancy and waiting, could there be a more meaningful way to prepare our hearts than in prayer and meditation? We may wait for God to renew our spirits, to give us insight for a decision, to provide courage and comfort in a time of need, to prepare us for a task which seems overwhelming, or to reveal Himself to us in the birth of our Savior.

In the lectionary reading from II Samuel, we find a passage known as a “Prayer of David.” David opens his heart to God, makes his petition known and praises God for His greatness. David finds that God is faithful, His promises are true and with God’s promises come a blessing. The blessing is not just for David but a blessing for generations to come. Waiting! “Blessed are they who wait on Him.”

Prayer: Quiet our minds, draw near to us now, Lord God, that we may love Thee more dearly, see Thee more clearly, and follow Thee more faithfully. In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen

Sue Darlington Woods