Life In Advent: The Practice of Waiting
Part 3 of A Life In Advent Devotional
Picture this:
Rewind a couple of decades, and you find Fifteen-year-old me, bubbling with excitement- while also in a predicament. My Christmas wish was coming true, I was getting my very own guitar.
I could imagine it, shredding and picking the strings, having fun, and eventually leading my very own rock band (that dream never came). Nevertheless, was it exciting? Yes, I knew what was coming, but I was frozen in the difficulty of having to wait till the gift was given to me.
You see, I was wondering around the house one Saturday morning- when I had accidentally discovered the unwrapped gift hidden in a basement closet. Oh man, did I want to get that guitar out and strum it as loud as I could! But Christmas was still weeks away, and my teenage self had to wait. The frustration of waiting was almost unbearable. But the wait still had to be practiced.
Waiting has never been easy for me.
Honestly, I still struggle with practicing patience over long periods. It is something I am constantly having to work on. I'm not only an impatient gift receiver; I'm also an impatient gift giver. Numerous times, I've bought a gift for my wife and, in my excitement, given it to her days before the planned celebration. I just couldn't wait to see the joy on her face. Can anyone relate?
I even struggle with waiting in long lines. I've been known to leave a drive-thru before ordering because the wait seemed too long.
My lack of patience is probably a little bit of a cultural biproduct. Not to pass the blame, but as an elder millennial I have seen the benefits of instant results explode right before my own eyes. Our culture's access to instantaneous results only magnifies this struggle. We can order something from Amazon and have it delivered the next day. We can get a full meal from a restaurant delivered to our doorstep within an hour. America is filled with instant gratification, fueled by our advanced technology and appetite for the immediate.
But here's the thing: While I appreciate quick deliveries and instant access, I believe our obsession with the instant can hinder our ability to wait for the distant. A sovereign God has a sovereign plan, that works to His timeline, which can require the need to wait. That said, we've become so accustomed to immediate results that we've lost the art of patient waiting. Thankfully, we have a God whose grace is abundant, who walks alongside us even as we struggle with impatience.
A grace that welcomes a stumbling follower. A grace and mercy that is reflected in Jesus as he showcased patience while leading and walk amidst life with his disciples. Even when they struggled to grasp his words, or lacked patience themselves, we find a Jesus guiding them by the hand to the correct destination.
As I write this, it is December and we are in the depth of the Christmas season. Commercials, lights, trees, music, and much more festivities fill our days. Most of us have seen advertisements on the need to “quickly” buy a new gift for someone. “Buy now to save 20%” “Every Kiss Begins with Kay” “So hurry and come see us at our location!”
But Advent brings cause to pause. When we observe the Advent and Christmas season, we have an opportunity to slow down and embrace the practice of waiting patiently. The Israelites heard prophecies about their coming Messiah for centuries, but they still had to wait. They lived in the tension between promise and fulfillment, learning to trust God's timing over their own.
I believe Mary, the mother of Jesus, gives us a profound example of how to wait. We see her receive life-altering news in Luke 1:
"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, 'Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!' But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.'"
—Luke 1:26–31 (ESV)1
Imagine this: A young woman, engaged to be married, suddenly receives a message that changes everything. Mary didn't run away; she didn't fight the news. She did ask, "How will this be?" but she remained faithfully committed to God's plan. She embraced the unknown with obedience and trust.
This is crucial for us. There are moments when we receive news or a message of God's plan, and we struggle to embrace it or wait for the outcome. We might fall into the trap of not understanding the how, and in doing so, we rob ourselves of the what God wants to accomplish. Remember, the outcome is God's responsibility; obedience is ours.
Mary obediently received the news that would change humanity as we know it. And what did she do next? She praised God in the waiting. Something that most dread, she transformed into an opportunity for praise.
In Luke 1, we read Mary's song of praise, often called the Magnificat:
"My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name."
—Luke 1:46–49 (ESV)2
Mary was literally praising in the waiting. One of the best practices in waiting patiently is to make the most of the wait. We can praise God while we wait for answers to our prayers. We can thank Him for our coming miracles. We can speak of His goodness even while we're in the valley moments of life. We can praise Him before our breakthrough! Why? Because He is faithful to His word.
The Advent season pushes us into the practice of waiting with intention—a practice we will never outgrow as followers of Christ. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote:
"The Advent season is a season of waiting, but our whole life is an Advent season—that is, a season of waiting for the last Advent, for the time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth."
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer 3
Waiting isn't a detriment or an obstacle; it's an opportunity—an opportunity to glorify God. Mary modeled a posture of praise as she waited, and you and I have an invitation to do the same this Advent season. Waiting patiently isn't something to check off a daily to-do list; it's a fruit of a life in submission to God's plan.
My teenage self wanted to rip open that guitar as soon as I found it. Thankfully, I operated in restraint that Saturday morning. If I had operated in impulsive joy, it probably wouldn't have compared to the moments I shared with my family as I unwrapped that gift on Christmas morning. That guitar jump-started me into a life of practicing praise. I no longer have that specific guitar, but today I assist in leading worship regularly. Trust me, after hearing my initial strumming and lack of skill, this is something that came only with practice and patience.
Embracing the Wait
In a world of instant gratification, waiting feels countercultural. But perhaps that's the point. God's timeline doesn't conform to our microwaved expectations. He invites us into a journey where the waiting shapes us as much as the outcome.
Two Steps to Practice Waiting Patiently:
Prioritize Obedience Over Outcome
Focus on what God is asking you to do right now, rather than fixating on how things will turn out. Remember, the outcome is in His hands.
Praise in the Process
Choose to worship while you wait. Let your praise be a declaration of trust in God's faithfulness.
Prayer
God, I trust that Your plan is far greater than my own. I submit myself to obedience instead of being consumed by the outcome. Strengthen me as I await the answers to my prayers. Thank You for sending Jesus, the greatest gift. Help me to praise You in the waiting. Amen.
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:26–55
Feel free to share this reflection or discuss it with your family. May this season be one of intentional waiting and heartfelt praise. Check out older Life In Advent posts HERE.
Crossway Bibles. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2001.
Crossway Bibles. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2001.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas. Edited by Jana Riess, translated by O. C. Dean Jr., Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010.