Waiting

Advent. A season of expectant hope. A season of waiting, of hoping, of expecting and ultimately, of receiving. In this time of waiting, we can also be consumed with the December activities that we love but that are, well, numerous! During times like this, we run the risk of running on empty, but God offers us refreshment and provision. 

In Acts 3:19-20, Luke instructs:

“Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah.”

We are called to turn to God and to turn away from anything that threatens to take the place of God in our lives. We are commanded to turn from sin and instead turn to Jesus. Then, we will experience “times of refreshment.” Times of refreshment come from the presence of the Lord because He is refreshment. He is our rest and our wisdom and our peace and our salvation. He is the answer and He is the solution, every time. It’s hard to remember this in the midst of a long wait, or with business or hardship, but it is true nonetheless. 

So the next question is: what is required for us to be aware of God’s presence? 
Psalm 46:1 instructs us to

“Be still, and know that I am God!” In this stillness, we can know His Presence, and we can ask for what we need.

Psalms 81:6-7 says: 

Now I will take the load from your shoulders;

 I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.

You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you;

I answered out of the thundercloud

and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah.

Times of refreshment come from the Presence of God.

We can be still and know the Presence of God.

And God always answers. 

What are you waiting for today? The answer may or may not arrive on our timetable, but it is always right on time. There is no load too heavy for Him and there is no desert so dry that His rivers of life cannot run through it. No matter how much we would like to, we are not going to run out of challenges, hardships and hassles. Even if we manage to limp through the current problem, there will always be another one. This is what God has called us to. He calls us to turn to Him, to turn away from sin and distraction, and to watch for Him to show up.

We also have explicit examples of how He shows up.

John 7:37-39 in the Message translation instructs:

“On the final and climactic day of the Feast, Jesus took his stand. He cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says.” (He said this in regard to the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. The Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)”

This is the God of the universe, coming to us in a form to which even the poorest of us can relate, making His invitation to us. He doesn’t demand attention, he attracts attention. He does not force his way, he beckons us to follow. He invites us to come and have our needs met, and to be filled to overflowing. When he calls the thirsty, he isn’t offering a sip of water or even a cup, he offers a river of living water that will brim and spill out. This isn’t just provision; this is abundant blessing.

What are you waiting for? 

Lord, open our eyes to the abundance of your perfect provision for us as we wait in Your Presence. AMEN