I would have despaired unless I had believed
that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord,
Be strong, and let your heart take courage;
yes, wait for the Lord. - Psalm 27:13-14
Wait. Waiting...
Who likes those words?
Not me.
Why?
Because its hard!
We all have had to wait on something. No one is exempt. Maybe it's a job you are waiting on. A husband. A wayward child. Or maybe you are waiting to be healed from a sickness or disease.
I have had my seasons of waiting in big things and small. Waiting none the less.
This season I am learning more about Advent - the expectant waitng. Generations after generations of Israelites waiting for Christ's birth. And in Galatians 4 we see that at "just the right moment in time, God sent Jesus to earth."
Perfect timing, in a perfect way, through a perfect life. Although my flesh would beg to differ. For who would have thought that a king would be born in a manger?
But isn't that just like God? His ways are so much higher than ours.
I'm sure the Israelites got tired of waiting. I get tired of waiting for my son to tie his shoes. But that is what is wrong with our culture today. We want instant gratification. But the Israelites...they didn't have Chick-fil-A or Amazon Prime. They lived in the day before hot chicken sandwiches and waffle fries being delivered to your car window in 2.2 seconds and packages being delivered to your front door in 2 days. How did they ever live?!
The answer: They lived in anticipation.
An∙tic∙i∙pa∙tion - expectancy, expectation, excitement, suspense.
They waited with expectancy and excitement!
This is why the psalmist says, "I would have despaired if I had not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." The Israelites believed that He would walk among us. They believed that one day they would be able to see Him.
And they did!!
We can see Him today if we are willing to wait, be strong, and take courage!
Today's challenge: Sit quietly and ponder these questions. You may want to grab a blanket, a cup of coffee and a journal.
1. What do you feel like you are waiting for/on?
2. What would it look like for you to live expectant of the Lord right now?
May you see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!
Kerry