“I Have Waited and Waited!”
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We all know people who love to map out their plans far in advance. We also know people who are more carefree and easygoing. I tend to be a planner. I plan my schedule months in advance and often set long-term goals for myself, my family, and my job. And then I wait. Sometimes I have to wait a long time to see how much my plans are in sync with God’s plans.
Your Prayer Has Been Heard. Waiting is woven into salvation history. God’s people waited forty years before they could enter the Promised Land. Later, they waited nearly seventy years to be freed from exile. And after that, they waited another five hundred years for the Messiah to come! All that waiting is summed up beautifully in the psalmist’s prayer: “Surely, I wait for the Lord; who bends down to me and hears my cry” (Psalm 40:2).
On a more personal level, think about how hard it must have been for Elizabeth and Zechariah, the parents of John the Baptist, to wait for a child! They likely felt ashamed over their barrenness and may have been tempted to resign themselves to being childless their whole lives. But day after day, year after year, they kept praying and remained faithful to the Lord. Then finally, as he ministered in the Temple one day, Zechariah heard an angel tell him, “Your prayer has been heard” (Luke 1:13).
Perhaps you, too, have prayed and prayed, waited and waited for the Lord to answer your prayer. Maybe you have a child who seems far from the Lord or is estranged from the Church. Maybe you have prayed for a friend suffering from a chronic illness. Maybe you have prayed for the Lord to help you overcome some personal weakness in your life. And you have waited for God to answer.
Even if it feels as if the Lord hasn’t yet answered your prayer, you can still trust that he has heard you! God hears you every time you lift your heart to him. Just as he heard Zechariah and Elizabeth the first time they prayed for a child, he hears you whenever you cry out to him. He is very close to you, closer than you know. And he is working out his good and perfect plans in his own wisdom and timing.
Wait on the Lord. So during this season of Advent, as we all wait for Jesus’ birth, make it a point to sit quietly in prayer and wait on the Lord. Lay your deepest concerns before him and wait for his response. Maybe set aside just ten minutes each morning. Read the day’s Scripture readings and the meditations in this magazine, and then wait. Just as Mary gave her yes to the angel, give your yes to God each morning. Tell him, “Father, you know my heart; you know my needs and my fears and my desires. But I give them all to you and pray, along with Mary, ‘May it be done to me according to your word’ (Luke 1:38)!”
Jeff Smith
President
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