Advent is a reminder that we are to wait patiently and expectantly for God to fulfill His promises.
As I have pondered the expectant waiting involved in Advent, I began thinking about Bible prophecy and waiting. As a society, we do not like to wait, and for many things, we don’t have to. We have information at the speed of light. We have text and e-mail instead of written and mailed letters. We have immediate answers with telephone calls. We have our television programming on demand. We have fast food. We want everything and we want it now.
While society may have changed, God has not. The Bible is very clear that He is the same yesterday, now and forever. “I am the Alpha and the Omega- the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come- the Almighty One.” Revelation 1:8 Paul tells us in Hebrews that, “Jesus is the same yesterday, now and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
I point out all of this because the birth of Jesus was first prophesied by the prophet Isaiah. He was probably the biggest prophet in the Old Testament. He told a wayward king, “All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child. She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means, “God is with us.”) Isaiah 7:14 He also said, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen.” Isaiah 9:6-7
That Isaiah knew what he was talking about. Right? I mean, he nailed it. You would think he got great joy in pointing out to all of the naysayers that he was right. Except, it was 700 years between the prophecy and the birth. I wonder how many people gave up. But, God didn’t. He always keeps his promises. Matthew 1:23 quotes the prophet after telling the story of Joseph’s angel visitation. Some people never forgot. Some people held God’s words and promises close.
So what exactly does all of this mean for us today? Well, if God never changes and Jesus never changes, although we desire instant gratification from prayers, it doesn’t work that way. For the record, this is also a first world issue, this instant gratification. People in third world countries still have to wait for everything just like we did once upon a time. I wonder if perhaps, that may be part of the reason why Christianity is growing so rapidly in those places.
Seven hundred years is a long time, but many still believed. They held on to the promises of the “Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” He did not disappoint. And 2,000 years later, we still believe. We wait expectantly on Jesus’ return. The Bible says it will happen.
Advent is a beautiful reminder that God loves us and that He keeps His promises, that He is with us through Jesus. Let’s try to remember that as we try to learn to wait patiently.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂