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.
