Advent is Over...But We're Still Longing

Luke 2:21-32

Today’s story is an interesting one—not one that you hear about very often. It is just a small piece of the arc of redemption, a hint of hope for the future, and foretelling of the salvation to come. In this passage we meet Simeon, a man who has been waiting for Israel’s savior. In fact, he has been told by God that he will meet the savior at some point in his life. So when Jesus is brought to the temple, Simeon is inspired by the Spirit to go and he meets Jesus. The praises that Simeon utters at this moment are so moving to me,

 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

Simeon feels total and complete peace and joy, because there is hope for the world right there in his arms. The waiting is over, the longing is ended—the next chapter is beginning at last.

Advent is over. Christmas is over. We waited, we celebrated, so now what? This next month can sometimes feel so flat or motionless as we struggle to get going into next year. And the difficult part of it is this: the season of Advent is over, but we are still waiting. We are still longing. We are still anticipating Jesus to come and redeem a world that seems so lost and hopeless. We are in the already of Jesus’ saving grace, and the not yet of his returning promise. So as we move forward out of this time, ask yourself: how is God showing up for me right here, right now? There might be things you are waiting for, things you’ve asked God for and he’s said, “Not yet, dear one.” But how is God meeting you exactly where you are and cradling you, like Simeon cradled baby Jesus in the temple on that day two thousand years ago? Though we still have longing and waiting, Jesus is in our midst to guide us through.

Reflect:

How is God showing up for you, meeting you exactly where you are?

What are you waiting or longing for, and how is God answering that longing? Seek his true answers, not answers that you want or feel like you deserve. Ask God to show you his will.

How Do You Define Success?

Read: Nehemiah 12:27-31

We are drawing closer to Christmas Day and the end of 2019.  If you are a lot like me, you are spending some time reflecting on this past year.  What has gone well?  What has been difficult?  What goals have I achieved?  Where have I fallen short?  It can often leave us feeling we have not measured up, that we have failed in what we set out to do on January 1^st. 

Today’s reading is about the prophet Nehemiah.  The ancient Israelites had been in exile far away from their homeland.  The walls around their city, Jerusalem had been demolished, and the city had become inhabited by other nations.  After nearly 70 years, the Israelites were released from their captivity and began returning home.  They settled in and around Jerusalem, but they were a broken people.  They lived in the shadow of the ruins, the boulders of the once magnificent wall mocking them. 

Yet they were content there.  The prophet Nehemiah comes on the scene.  During the time of his exile, he was the cup bearer to the King of Persia.  He takes a trip back to Jerusalem to visit.  What he sees makes his heart melt, and he is overcome with grief.  Nehemiah prayed. And God stirred up a vision in his heart.  He must rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. 

It must have seemed crazy!  Afterall, what was he going to be able to do?  He was just a lowly cup bearer to a King in a foreign land. 

Fast forward 13 long, hard, trying years!  Miracles happened, opposition arouse, setbacks came.  Defeats and disappointments seemed to be winning.  But the day finally came when the wall was completed!  What a day to celebrate!!  Yet there is more.

I have been enjoying a book based upon the story of Nehemiah by Andy Stanley called “Visioneering.”  Listen to what Andy says about Nehemiah and success:

“There is a tendency to confuse success with the rewards of success. If you are where God wants you, fulfilling the responsibilities he has given you, you are successful. In fact, when that is the case, you are as successful as you will ever be. Granted, you may not be seeing or experiencing the rewards of your success. But you are successful nonetheless.

Success is remaining faithful to the process God has laid out for you.”

Nehemiah remained faithful to what God had called him to do every step of the way. 

Do you see the parallel in the Christmas story?  Mary, a young teenager, received a vision from God.  When the angel appeared to her and told her she would be the mother of Jesus, she said, 

“I am your handmaiden.  Let it be to me as you have said!” 

When did she see the rewards for her faithfulness?  On their way to Bethlehem when she was 9 months pregnant?  When Herod killed all the newborn babies?  When they had to flee to Egypt?  Or maybe when Jesus was arrested, put on trial and sentenced to death?  Maybe at the foot of the cross when she watched as her beloved son was crucified? 

Mary too remained faithful and put her hope in God even when all seemed lost.  She pondered ALL the things God had put in her heart and remained faithful to the process God had laid out for her, being the mother of the Savior of All.  Imagine the JOY she experienced what Jesus was raised to life again! 

Lord, thank you for the gift of Your Son Jesus, born for us! Help us to remain faithful to the vision You have for us and entrust ourselves to Your divine plan, to rescue and redeem the lost and broken people in this world!  We place our hope in You, that You have all things in Your hands and one day, You will restore US and all things beyond all we could ever ask or imagine.   

        

Pray Big and Believe Even Bigger

How often have we heard that we should pray big? Our prayers are to a God who can do anything, who loves us unconditionally and who expects us to turn to Him for the biggest and the smallest of needs. Nehemiah understood this and He took God up on it. He prayed for something only a mighty God could provide, and God heard his prayers.

Nehemiah 1:8-9 (NIV) 
8 "Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.'

The people Nehemiah is referring to are the last of the exiles to return from captivity. They are the third wave of Israelites to come home only to find their home in ruins. When Nehemiah heard of their fate he turned to God and prayed. He prayed big prayers, filled with faith and expectation. He praised God, begged for forgiveness after confessing his sins, thanked God for all He had done for him. Then he laid out his specific requests and waited.

Is this what we do when faced with an impossible task? It is so difficult to remember to turn to God when our world is in shambles, when our home is in ruins, our hearts are breaking, and we can't catch our breath. But this is the exact time when we should seek out God's favor. Our prayers must be filled with faith and an expectation that God hears and acts. And so we wait...

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Nehemiah 1:1-11

Keep on 'til the End

Ezra 6:14 (MSG)
¹⁴  So the leaders of the Jews continued to build; the work went well under the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo. They completed the rebuilding under orders of the God of Israel and authorization by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. 

The finished temple was a long and arduous process. Much pain was taken to follow the Lord's precise instructions, making it perfect in every way. It didn't happen overnight, and it was hard work but now it was finished. Let the festivities begin. Feasting and celebration were fitting now that the temple was completed.

We will often throw a party when we come to the end of a big project or a difficult task. When we are involved in a theatrical play and give up many of the things we like to do, so that we can practice over and over to make the performance flawless, there is usually a cast party after it is finished. A writer might host a book release party when their publication is available to the public.

Many gave hours of their lives for the temple completion. And it all began because of the discovery of a lost paragraph in a pagan library (Life Application Study Bible). (Read Ezra 6:1-12). It was time to party.

Consider how it all began for you. When did your faith begin to take shape? What was happening in your life to cause you to seek God and His Son? This Advent season it is good to remember these things and maybe even share them with someone who doesn't quite get it yet. You might be surprised at the response you receive. After all, we are all waiting for something, aren't we? Maybe our words will reveal that the 'something' is Jesus.

Comment below, or if you prefer, email me here.

Ezra 6:13-16

Drink the Water and Live

Isaiah 55:1 (NIV)

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
I am remembering the story of the woman at the well, and her conversation with Jesus. He told her to drink the living water and she'll never be thirsty again. The book of Isaiah often foreshadows Jesus coming. The prophet, Isaiah, is lifting up a coming Messiah and what hope will be filling His people, the people who seek him, who forsake their evil ways and turn to Him.

Jesus' salvation is free to all. Just embrace His love and let God's grace flow over you in the warmest of hugs.

Isaiah 55:6-7 (NIV)
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.   Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

There is still time, change is yet a possibility. God is near, turn to Him while you still can, while He still hears our prayers. As we wait for Christmas and for the birth of our Savior, we have more time to turn our lives around. What a perfect time for a new beginning.

Isaiah 55:8 (NIV) 

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.
God's ways are sometimes puzzling and often they don't make sense to us mere mortals, but we can count on the fact that they are always the best. So, as we wait for Advent to bring us to the stable to welcome a tiny baby who will and has changed the world, think about these things and seek the Lord with all your might.
Share your thoughts in the comments section below, or email me personally.

Isaiah 55:1-11

The Waiting Game

But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine. (Isaiah 43:1)

Advent is our season of waiting. We wait for a baby to appear on the scene. As Christians, we know the significance of this baby. Before we were followers of Christ we still waited. Waited for Christmas, for Santa, for shopping to be finished or for payday so we could finish gift hunting.

Little did we know then that the greatest gift of all was soon to make an appearance. Our dark world would soon be lit up. Truth would make an entrance, and nothing would ever be the same again. Even our 'waiting' would change.

About nine years ago I was waiting for Jesus in a different way. My husband received a terminal diagnosis and we waited to see what God would do. I was waiting for Him send a cure, instead He sent a Savior to take my husband back home with Him.

Because of Advent, that time of waiting for a Savior--a Redeemer, my waiting was not a hopeless time, but a time of growing in faith and endurance.

Imagine Jesus' mother, Mary, and her time of waiting. Again, a time of waiting for a Savior, a Redeemer. As I am starting to learn, waiting is not a negative state, but a state of pregnant expectation.

Each year we begin this season waiting and anticipating what God will do for us, with us, and sometimes despite us, in the coming year. How are you spending your ‘waiting’ time this year? Please share in the comments below, or feel free to email me here.

Isaiah 43:1-13

Beyond Measure

Genesis 41: 41-57

For the past six months God has been telling me to wait; wait on his promises.  I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job, but I’ve wondered what I should be doing while I wait?  It feels like I should be doing something, but what exactly?

Reading today’s passage gave me an answer – preparing and storing up.  Just as Joseph used the seven years of abundance to prepare for the seven years of famine, so too should I be using this time to prepare for what’s to come.

So, I’ve been reading and storing up God’s Word.  I’ve been praying and talking and listening and waiting.  My hope is that, like Joseph, I’ll be prepared for whatever comes next.  I pray I’m ready and willing to take the steps I need to take now to ensure prosperity in the future; not only for myself, but for those around me.

I want to serve as a positive example of what waiting and preparing looks like.  I want to display faith that God will provide in the time he has designated.

Father, you know the plans you have for me.  Sometimes the waiting becomes uncomfortable, but may I use this time wisely and remain ever faithful in the knowledge that You never fail.  Let Your will be done in my life today and in the days to come.  Amen

God Is Calling

Genesis 12:1-9

He did as he was told.  I admire Abram for that.  He could have said, “No, I’m good,” but he didn’t.  He packed up and left.

Listen, Obey, Move and Pray was Abram’s motto.  God called; Abram listened and obeyed.  Why?  Because he knew God would fulfill His promise.  Was it easy?  No.  Could Abram have imagined the trials awaiting him?  No.  Did everything he do please God?  No.  Were there missteps along the way?  Yes, but through it all God’s plan was in place and he kept drawing Abram to Himself.

As I’m feeling pulled in a thousand directions and want to question just about everything that’s happening in my life, God is pulling me to Himself.  I look to Abram as an example.  God’s will for my life will be accomplished.

My personal devotion this past Wednesday was Hebrews 6:15, After waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.  This fits nicely into what I’m writing for today because God knows what He’s doing every day of the week. 😊

Making hasty decisions and complaining is not the way to go.  God is calling me to be patient and surrender.  Previously I would have responded with, “Ugh! But it’s SO hard.”  Today, I’m realizing that waiting is a gift for which I want to be thankful.

Is it easy to wait?  No.  Are there trials ahead that I can’t see?  Yes.  Am I going to make super choices all the time?  Nope.  Am I going to take missteps?  Surely.  But I’ll keep reminding myself, like Abram, to Listen, Obey, Move and Pray and that will make all the difference.

A Million Pieces

Romans 8:22-27

Waiting is never easy.  It’s tough when you’re five and it’s just as difficult at 45, even when you know something’s “worth the wait.”

Today’s passage talks about waiting eagerly and patiently.  Ah, what a virtue it is to wait eagerly and patiently.  But what if we’re annoyed and irritable?  That feels more like it.

Well, that’s where the Spirit comes in.  “The Spirit helps us in our weakness… the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (v. 26-27).  He really does know best, yet it can be hard to hand over control especially when we want something NOW!

When we try to steal control from the Spirit, we end up feeling like we’re broken in a million little pieces.  The Spirit brings wholeness.

It’s like a spoon and egg race – when we run too quickly, the egg falls and breaks, but when we’re patient and let the spoon do the work (as slow as it may seem), the egg will arrive at its destination intact – and I’d really like to finish this (human) race in one piece.

But guess what?  Even if we fall and break into a million pieces, God is right there to put us back together.  He picks up the pieces, and like only He can, makes us whole again.  Don’t you love worshiping a God who does that?!

GOD'S TIME…WAIT, and MEANWHILE

Reading: 2 Peter 3:8-14

TIME

Time is a strange and fascinating thing, isn’t it? It incorporates past, present, and future in a continuing progression, where, in a nano-second, this present moment becomes the past and the future is now the present. We can only speak of time in these three terms, as seen in a few quotes about time:

• ·         “Time and tide wait for no man.” (St Marher, 1225)
• ·         “Study the past of you would define the future.” (Confucius)
• ·         “Yesterday is gone, tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” (Mother Theresa)

This concept of time is all we humans have to work with – but God is not limited by earthly definitions. His day could be 1000 years, or more or less. So when Jesus promises to return some day, He is speaking in heavenly terms, while we are restricted to our human reason regarding day and time.

We believe His promise as expressed in this gospel chorus:

            Coming again, coming again,

            Maybe morning, maybe noon,

            Maybe evening, maybe soon.

            Coming again, coming again.

            Oh, what a wonderful day that will be,

            Jesus is coming again! *

WAIT

Yet we are left waiting for the Day – not knowing what hour, day, week, month, year, century it may be…and most often not very patiently! We say, “Come, Lord Jesus, deliver me from...” Or, “The world has become so evil, why don’t you come back now?” We think He is taking His good old time to keep His promise. But, the Lord is not slow – He is patient. He desires that all have opportunity to repent (vs 9). He will come at precisely the right time – just as He did the first time.

"But, when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman,

born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under

the Law…" (Galatians 4:4-5)

MEANWHILE

So we continue to wait, but, in the meanwhile, how shall we wait?

• ·         Looking up into the heavens, hoping to be the first to see Him descending?
• ·         Listening to men’s predictions and gathering on a hillside awaiting His return?
• ·         Or perhaps following Peter’s advice for a more active, productive waiting strategy?

Here is what Peter has to say regarding waiting for the Day of the Lord (in vs 11-14):

• ·         Grow in the qualities of goodness and holy character
• ·         Dwell in expectant hope of His coming
• ·         Be at peace with God and others
• ·         Live in obedience

So I can be encouraged that God’s timing is perfect regarding Christ’s return, and that in the meantime, I have plenty to do to help further His kingdom during God’s “patient time.”

*by John W Peterson, 1957

Waiting for a Valentine

4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-6)

Sometimes it feels as if all I do is wait. As a child I remember waiting for school to get out for the summer, waiting for my birthday. I was even told often, "wait until your father gets home." Fast forward a few years and I wait for high school graduation, then waiting to for my twenty-first birthday, (not all its cracked up to be by the way).

Fast forward many years and February 14th is marked as the day I waited at my husband's bedside as we said our goodbyes. Now, I am waiting out my last weeks before retirement. Waiting seems to be punctuated by change. The apostles were instructed to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit. This gift most definitely ushered in change for this band of faith-filled followers.

While waiting, we are not stagnant, we are preparing. A child prepares for summer break by planning all the fun things he/she will do and dreams of these things with friends. The adult prepares for a huge life change. Life is peppered with seasons of waiting.

Waiting is a positive position to take. We prepare during a time of waiting. We plan and we often pray during our waiting. Had the apostles ignored the command to wait for the Holy Spirit, for that special gift from God and rushed out to tell about their journey with Jesus - no one would have understood or listened. They waited and were blessed beyond measure.

The next time we are forced to wait--for anything, use the time to breathe in and contemplate all that is happening. Examine your heart and thank God for this precious time and then just wait on Him to do something spectacular.


Acts 1:4-8

Waiting … Anticipating … Rejoicing

“Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord. “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.”

Zechariah 2:10-13

Zechariah penned these words inspired by the Holy Spirit an estimated 470-480 years before the coming of the Messiah. If I were Zechariah, I think I would’ve asked a few follow-up questions, maybe tried to pin God down on a date for the fulfillment of all these promises.

Wouldn’t you?

“Will you marry me?” A high-pitched squeal. “Oh, of course, you hunky stud! This is the happiest day of my life!” Six months go by. “When are we getting married?” “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in Heaven …” (O the trials of the bride of Christ!)

And so we wait. And wait. And wait. For the fulfillment of promises. For the return of Christ. For the marriage supper of the Lamb. For the perfection of Heaven. 

But here’s the interesting thing about this text: It tells us to shout and be glad (present tense - now!) because he is coming and will live among us (future tense). The wait God gives us is not one of drudgery, but one of anticipation and excitement.  

So shout for joy, my friend! For you are loved by the God who created the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them! You are the bride of Christ, and he is coming for you! Every tear shall be wiped from your eye, every provision shall be made for you, and you will dwell in the presence of God forever!

Rejoice today in your tomorrow!

Wait For It

Psalm 27:11-14

Have you ever played “Chutes and Ladders?”  It was one of my favorite games growing up and I’ve played it many, many times with my kids.  Reading today’s passage, I began to think of life like a game of Chutes and Ladders.  We’re all trying to make it to the top without tumbling down too many times.

It’s thrilling to land on the square where you help a cat out of the tree and get to race to the top, but nothing can be more frustrating than landing on the one where you’re trying to sneak a cookie, then find yourself chuting all the way down to the broken jar. ☹ The pictures on the board are based on cause and effect and consequences – both good and bad.  If you do this, then this will happen. If I follow the way of the Lord, then I’ll go “up” to heaven, right?  If I don’t accept Him and his promises, then heaven will be out of my grasp.

During a game, the spinner can be either your best friend or your enemy.  We may find ourselves yelling, “Yes!  That’s the number I needed!” or “No, that's so unfair!” How many times have we been climbing the ladder of life when the enemy tries to knock us down?  That’s when we call out, “Teach me your way, Lord.”  With Christ as our compass, the direction is clear.

And then you have the waiting.  For a young child, the agony of waiting can seem too much and being sent down a chute makes you feel like you might never make it, but verse 14 says Wait for the Lord. It actually says it twice, wait for the Lord.  Waiting can be tough at any age, but if we learn to wait with patience, then winning will be so much sweeter.

Father, Lead me in a straight path and give me the patience to be strong when life sends me spiraling.  With you, I know I can make it to the top and see your goodness fulfilled.  Amen.

        

Shhhhhh,.... Listen.

Acts 16: 6-15

As Paul continued on his journey, he followed the guiding of the Holy Spirit. As I read this, I couldn’t help but think, “Why is it that the messages from the Lord were so clear to Paul, and many of us continue daily, asking God what direction He wants us to take without so much as a nudge?” How awesome would it be to have a crystal clear understanding of what God wants of us!

Acts 16 tells of Paul and his companions being kept by the Holy Spirit from going to the Province of Asia. It also says that the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to enter Bithynia, and that during the night Paul had a vision of a man in Macedonia begging him to come and help them. He was specifically guided as to what he should do, and what he should not do. It was very clear for Paul according to this scripture. If only our purpose and expectations were this obvious.

Perhaps Paul was more still and quiet, waiting for the Lord to speak to him than we are in our busy world. Maybe if we stopped to “Be still and know that He is God,” we would hear his whispers.

 I challenge you to quiet yourself, ruthlessly eliminate hurry, and listen. What harm could come of it? A task might go unfinished for a time, but just think of the eternal gift that could result. Our Lord waits for us to hear Him, but we cannot hear if we do not listen.

Read/Listen to Acts 16: 6-15

Prayer is Waiting

Psalm 134:1-3 (NIV)

Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD.  Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD. May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.

We spend much of our life waiting...

We wait for traffic, we wait in line at the movies for our tickets, we wait for vacation to begin then we wait for it it end.  Waiting is so much a part of daily living and there are even waiting rooms set up where we can officially wait; for the doctor, dentist, or diagnosis.  We wait for someone to make the first move, we wait for our meal to be prepared and served.  On and on this list goes.

There are seasons in life where waiting is more prevalent than others.  Students wait to hear test results, athletes wait to learn if they made the team.  People who live on fixed incomes often wait for payday to roll around.

We also find ourselves waiting upon the Lord.  We pray, laying our petitions out in front of God, and we wait.  His timing is perfect...and we wait.  We pray and we wait.  Just what do we wait for?  Is it ever time to stop waiting?  I don't know the answer to this question, do you?

What do you do while you are waiting for God to answer a prayer?  Praise the LORD, some would say to praise and pray as if...as if your prayer has been answered.  Knowing that God always answers our pleas, do we move forward assuming God has paved the way?

Waiting is trusting...the line will get shorter, the results will be delivered, our name will be called.  Yes, waiting for our prayers to be answered is Trusting God.

Psalm 133, 134, 135

Anticipation Genesis 40

Waiting is hard. My four year old does not like to wait through commercials. He is growing up in a world with recorded TV shows and when he watches one in “real” time he gets frustrated. He wants me to fast forward through the commercials. When I explain to him that I can’t and he needs to wait he says it’s too hard.

My husband and I have been waiting for a church to call him as their pastor. We have been interviewing at churches and praying for God’s will. The wait is hard but we would rather wait for God’s timing than move forward in our own. There are churches who have wanted to hire him but we did not feel they were where God wanted us, so we wait.

In our passage today we see two prisoners waiting for Pharaoh to let them out of prison. For one of them the wait will be worth it. The other will meet disappointment. We are never sure where our waiting will lead us but God is. I believe that God loves us and wants us serving Him. I have to trust that though the time we wait seems hard and long, to God it’s no more than a commercial break.

 

Read the entire passage in Biblegateway Genesis 40