This week marks the beginning of the Advent Season. The word “Advent” signifies the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. These four weeks before Christmas—considered the Advent Season in liturgical churches—are set aside as a season of waiting for the arrival of the Messiah. Like a small child waiting for a birthday to arrive, it is a time of waiting and anticipation, of expectancy and hope.
On Sunday, the first day of the Advent Season, I awoke with the words “active waiting” in my spirit. I was reminded of a section from my book—Created For So Much More—that I would like to share here.
“Waiting on the Lord is an active pursuit of Him and His plan and purpose for your life.
Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:31)
The Hebrew word for wait in this verse is “quvah.” According to Strong’s Concordance, it means, “to bind together (perhaps by twisting); to collect, expect; gather together, look, tarry, wait.” It isn’t a passive, sit-on-your-hands, wait-for-someone-else-to-do-something kind of word. It is an active verb. Actively waiting on the Lord means taking the time you are given to study, learn, heal, and train.”
During this Christmas season I would add actively waiting means preparing our hearts to receive Emmanuel, God with us. This is a time to look up from our current circumstances, look around to those who need our love and compassion, and find ways to offer the love and compassion of Christ.
Actively waiting for the Messiah—our Prince of Peace—also means following the Apostle Paul’s instruction in Philippians 4:6 when he writes,
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
There is purpose in seasons of quiet yet actively waiting. Counterintuitive to our culture of immediate gratification and overly busy schedules, God often tells us to sit awhile. Isaiah put it this way:
For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15)
During this Advent Season of waiting, God promises to strengthen you. Seek Him. Rest in Him. Hope in Him. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit walk with you daily. They will lead you into all that They created you to do as they show you the way to live in the hope of actively waiting on the Them.
Be encouraged, Dear Ones, Christmas is coming. Hallelujah!
Thank you Deborah.
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