“I waited patiently for the LORD to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the LORD.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40:1-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The people of Israel would wait long years, centuries even, for their Messiah. And when he came, he would do so quietly. In a small town, in the dark of the night. The first witnesses to his glory, not the mighty and powerful, but a few guys who working the midnight shift of the lowliest job of their time. 

I wonder – did the people wait so patiently that they forgot they were waiting? That they didn’t notice the star shining over Bethlehem? That they weren’t ready to see the signs around them?

We wait during Advent. Some of us more patiently than others. But our waiting is expectant. It is active waiting. We wait while we observe the season: maybe we work through a daily devotional, maybe we pray some special prayers, maybe we take the time to blog daily, maybe we go to services and participate in study groups. However we go about it, as people of faith our waiting is not to be passive. It is to be almost anxious – as we keep our eyes trained on the One who is to come. 

As the days of Advent roll by, may you be actively waiting. May you never forget what it is we wait for – the coming of the King. And may you always find that hope in Him is what carries you through this season of waiting.