ADVENT: He's in the waiting

22 Dec 2017

Everything around me lately has been crying out about waiting, waiting for new episodes to drop, waiting for grades to be posted and most importantly waiting for Christmas. We're currently, albeit not for much longer, in the season of Advent, commercially known as, the period leading up to Christmas when we get to eat a tiny little chocolate every day for a month, waiting in anticipation for that one day that comes round every year that gives us an excuse to eat too much food and open our own presents as we celebrate someone else's birthday. However, Advent was never supposed to be about just awaiting Christmas but about being in constant expectation for the second coming of Jesus. 


We live in a world of fast food and next day delivery where if we have to wait even slightly longer than normal it's a waste of valuable time but what is waiting an extra ten minutes for some food that has clearly been freshly prepared and tastes a lot better. Yet still, we (me included) are so reluctant to wait on God. We want things instantly but fail to notice that God is in the waiting. The 'not yet' answer to prayer is often the most frustrating because of society telling us we need things right now and we're not willing to wait for God's abundant blessings that He has prepared for us we just need to be willing to wait and put our trust in Him.

In my church during this season, we're looking at the parable of the ten virgins.written in Matthew 23 verses 1-13 (as written below)
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
It tells of the importance of being prepared for Christ's second coming at all times, the foolish virgins in this parable missed out on an eternity in heaven because although they had been vigilant and ready at one point, when the bridegroom (or Jesus) finally arrived they weren't prepared. It's all well and good giving your life to Christ but if you're not prepared to be fully with him and prepared for him during the waiting, you're not really following Him.

This advent season I've been constantly coming back to the song 'Take Courage" by Kristene Di Marco which proudly proclaims that God is God in the waiting. The bridge of the song cries
And You who hold the stars 
Who call them each by name 
Will surely keep, Your promise to me 
That I will rise, in Your victory
Proclaiming that God will keep his promises, He's promised to prosper us so He will prosper us we just have to be willing to wait for Him to do so. But with the immense blessing that He has for us, more than we are even capable of fathoming, why the heck would we not want to wait!


 Although Advent is the season of waiting, our attitude to waiting in expectation shouldn't be left behind after the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season has died down. No-one knows the day or the hour of Christ's return so we should live our entire lives in expectation, waiting on Him, and being prayerful and expectant of everything that He is going to do in the build-up to His inevitable return.