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#waiting

Waiting (Part 2)

December 17, 2019 By John Deisher

Read Luke 2:36-38

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Meditate

There are two kinds of waiting.

The first kind of waiting is passive. You are waiting for a friend, so you grab your phone and watch an episode of “Friends” for the 47th time. Or, you have some downtime between classes so you open Instagram and scroll through story after story. During your wait, your time is really without a purpose.

Then there is active waiting. This is the type of waiting practiced by Anna. As the years of life passed, she waited for the redemption of Jerusalem. She had lived her entire life under Roman occupation. But she knew the promise—there was a Messiah who was coming, and she was waiting for that promise.

So, she spent her days in the temple of God, worshipping, fasting, praying. Her waiting was active waiting.

Kingdom waiting.

What’s the difference? Passive waiting just waits for time to pass. Active waiting, kingdom waiting, prepares me for what will happen when the waiting has passed.

There is a difference.

Because time will pass, and how prepared we are for what takes place next will be determined by how we spend the time in-between the promise and its fulfillment.

Practice kingdom waiting so that when the promise is fulfilled you are in a place to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who are the others who are waiting.

Pray

“Father, teach me to actively wait, to prepare myself for the fulfillment of your promises. Forgive me for my idle use of time. Cause a passion to burn within me for you. Amen.”

Contemplate

Practice active waiting today. When you have to wait on something or someone, use the time actively to pray or read Scripture.

Take an audit of how you spend your waiting time. How much social media do you consume during a day? Does your social media use move you closer to God and his purposes for your life or is it just filling space? Pray about taking a social media fast for the rest of 2019.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: #purpose, #waiting, advent, christmas

Waiting (Part 1)

December 16, 2019 By John Deisher

Read Luke 2:25-35

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law,he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
    according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
    that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and for glory to your people Israel.”

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Meditate

When I think of the word “promise” there is almost always another word that comes to mind: patience.

Maybe it is because of my childhood? My parents would say they were going to take me somewhere special, and I would say, “You promise?”. They would, but it was always a few days later before we would go. 

So I would have to learn patience. 

And that’s fine. 

Except I want to learn patience right now.

Simeon had been given a promise—he would see the Christ child before he died. How long had he had looked at every child he saw? Did he wonder with each one of them, “Is this the one?”. Were there times he doubted the promise because time and children passed without the fulfillment?

What I do know is this—he had a promise. So, when he went to the temple, he came with an awareness of the working of the Holy Spirit in his life. He was going to the Lord’s Christ.

The promise gave him a purpose.

Let me say that again—the promise of God gave him a purpose in his life.

What is the last part of the blessing he passed on to baby Jesus: “…that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed”? This moment revealed Simeon’s heart. Day after day he had stayed true to his purpose until his faithfulness brought about the fulfillment of the promise.

Do you have a promise from God? Do you want one (the Bible is full of them)?

While you are patiently waiting on the fulfillment of the promise, practice daily walking in the purpose God has given you for your life.

Pray

“Father, thank you for your promises. Forgive my lack of patience, but help me to stay faithful to the purposes you have set before me. Reveal my heart as I fulfill your purpose in my life.”

Contemplate

  • Do you have a “promise list”? This is a list of things God has promised to you. It may be things God has promised through Scripture or promises revealed through his Spirit. Begin to write those promises down. Review them often. When a promise has been fulfilled, write the date beside it. A list like this is a very visible reminder of God’s faithfulness.
  • Along with a promise list, you need to know God’s purpose for your life. Take a few minutes to read “Discovering God’s Purpose for Your Life.” It is a little lengthy, and it will certainly cause you to stop and ask some hard questions, but use it as a springboard for preparing for 2020.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: #waiting, advent, christmas, patience

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