They Waited

I wanted to write a hopeless message about reality as it slaps us in the face, a reality that we have to deal with,  but I committed this year to writing daily during this advent seasons. Yet, my advent reflection did not match my words, so I stopped. I had written about the irrelevant maybe that causes us to overthink without a clear reality check. What I had written was stylistically great, but it was not reality as I see through the lens of faith.  Here is the reality check I think we need this season. The Jews waited more than 400 years for the prophecy of the savior to be fulfilled. They knew when he would be born. They waited, they waited, and they waited some more! For many of those years, God seemed absent. As if He was not doing a single thing, but lo and behold! He was, he prepared and Ann and Joachim to have Mary. He prepared Mary at the temple. He prepared Joesph. He prepared Elizabeth and Zachariah to have John the Baptist who prepared the way for Jesus. Now here is the thing, to Elizabeth and Zachariah things seemed impossible! They were shamed by the fact that they did not have a child. God knew that. He made them wait!


They continued praying. They continued loving God, and they continued telling him about how they felt and the reality in which they were facing. Meanwhile, to many God seemed as though He was not answering them, but He was. Things needed to be in order. Mary was 14 when she had Jesus. Had Elizabeth been pregnant with John before, she wouldn’t have felt the greeting of the Mother of God moving the child within her. Why because maybe Mary herself would not have been born.


Hopeless they seemed, but they continued praying. Hopeless all of Israel seemed, but they continued praying, and God continued working behind the scenes until it was time for them to see the glory of God as Simeon proclaimed it.


So now you maybe facing a certain situation, one where you feel completely hopeless. You may even thing that God is not answering you at all, but be certain that He is doing something. Complain to Him, tell Him your problems, and give thanks to Him. He will deliver you! Now note that He may deliver you in ways that you did not expect. Consider Elizabeth, wouldn’t it have been nice if she had become pregnant at a younger age and avoided all the shame that that society had for barren women? Absolutely, but that would not have led to glorifying  God as did the birth of John the Baptist!

No one thought it was possible, but it happened. Same thing with Sarah and Abraham! Same goes for a Virgin with Child! Keep praying! Keep loving God! Keep on asking! Have faith! Have hope! Have fun with God! He is great. He will deliver you. He will change you and the situation you are in! For better and for worse, for sickness and in health, love God and praise Him!


God is good! All the time!
All the time! God is good!