Advent Devotion: Day 16

Monday, December 12

Psalm 42; Isaiah 29:17-24; Acts 5:12-16

Why is waiting so hard? Is it the anticipation that something will happen, or is it the doubt that anything will happen at all? Anyone who exercises knows that holding a plank will test your patience and endurance. A one-minute plank can feel like it lasts for an eternity. During this “eternity,” the wonderful and the uncomfortable collide, but we endure with the end in mind. There are days that test our patience; time stands still, and there are nights when prevailing darkness seems endless. Sometimes, God feels far away. So, with a mixed bag of anticipation, discomfort, faith, and uncertainty we wait on God with the end in mind.

My grandmother would say, “God’s time is not our time.”

Why is remembering sometimes painful? The process of thinking about days once lived often resurrects the pain of old feelings, thoughts, and experiences, but memories also can be beautiful and evoke praise. Sometimes, God feels nearby. The writer of Psalm 42 yearns for God and remembers a time of communion with God. So, sometimes, with both smiles and tears, we remember God.

My grandmother would say, “God’s ways are not our ways.”

Why are there seasons of hopelessness? Sometimes the temporary seems to last forever. But amid anticipation, discomfort, smiles, and tears there is hope. Our story has never been devoid of hope. God knows what we need before we need it. His love and salvation are among those things. God knew we would need Jesus.

My grandmother would say, “God’s thoughts are not our thoughts.”

How hopeless and dark the days before the savior’s arrival must have been for some, but how hope-filled were the people who sought and remembered God, believing by faith that what was promised would come to pass. Oh God, our souls long for something only you can grant us! When we believe we have nothing, we find hope in your promise. Our faith has memory. You are always with us. You are always near.

As we celebrate Advent and the eternal hope God has provided us, let us be sure that our hope remains in God. When the temporary feels like an eternity, let us never forget to praise the God who holds the hope of our past and the promise of our future. Celebrate! The Kingdom has a King!

Matrissa Bennett
School of Divinity Graduate