Living in the Waiting Room - Thursday, December 3 (Advent 2020)
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
Psalm 27:14
Comedian Steven Wright says, as part of his jokes, that he likes to sit in waiting rooms. When asked why he does it, he will say “No reason; just waiting. That’s what the room is for, right?” The humor, of course, is that no one waits without a reason. We wait for appointments and buses and for friends to arrive, without compiling just how much time we invest in just… waiting.
The lifestyle of faith in God has always been a lifestyle of waiting. God promises, and we wait. For hours or days. Or weeks or months. Even centuries and generations. Waiting for what? The Psalmist answers in his song collection nine times: It is not what we are waiting for that matters, but for whom. “My soul waits for the LORD…” more that the watchman waits for the morning (Psalm 130:6).
We wait for the Lord our God because He will reward our waiting with His gifts. Victory over sin and temptation, forgiveness that leads to eternal life, and a restored, permanent relationship with God and His promise to be with as always. But we need not spend any more time in the waiting room. It is all yours today through faith in Jesus.
Thank you, Father, that the wait is over. Christ has come and has made me His child through faith in Him. Amen.