Waiting with Hope
Wait for the LORD, be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Psalm 27:14 (ESV)
One of the most difficult things for me to do is to wait…for anything. I get antsy with little pauses such as standing in long lines while the cashier and customer chit-chat. There are times when I feel irritated that a 4-year-old has problems cutting a straight line. Truly, I work hard to keep my thoughts to myself but my expressions often trump my intentions. Let’s be honest, most of us do not enjoy these happenstances. But there is One coming again who is worthy of the wait. Sarah Young (Jesus Listens for Advent & Christmas) has a prayer that may change your concept of delays.
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Precious Jesus,
During this Advent season, I am waiting for You with hope in my heart. Through reading Your Word, I’ve seen that waiting, trusting, and hoping are intricately connected—like golden strands woven together to form a strong chain. I think of trusting as the central strand because this attitude is taught so frequently throughout the Bible. Waiting and hoping embellish the central strand and strengthen the chain that connects me to You.
Waiting for You to work, with my eyes fixed on You, shows that I really do trust You. But if I simply mouth the words “I trust You” while anxiously trying to make things go my way, my words ring hollow.
Hoping is future-directed, connecting me to my glorious inheritance in heaven. However, as You have shown me, the benefits of hope fall fully on me in the present.
Because I belong to You, I don’t just pass time in my waiting. I can wait expectantly, in hopeful trust. Please help me stay alert so I can pick up even the faintest glimmer of Your Presence.
In Your Trustworthy Name,
AMEN
Psalm 56:3-4 1 John 3:3
“Waiting is the hardest work of hope.” —Lewis B. Smedes