Waiting is Hard

'Tis the season for waiting. We wait in lines at the store (or for those of you in the 21st century, we wait for boxes from Amazon). We wait for family to come home and spend Christmas with us. We wait for that glorious morn when desired gifts are given and the excitement of giving to our loved ones has finally arrived. And even though we find ourselves busy with all of our preparations, there is still a waiting that underlies our activities.

Simeon was man who knew about waiting. ¹ God had made him a promise — he would not die before he saw the Lord's Christ, the baby Jesus. The scripture encourages us to be still and know that He is God. Did you know that it's possible to be still and still be busy? Life occupies our time, even in our waiting — we can still wear an attitude of waiting for God in our busyness. Simeon did. He was devout. That means his life was dedicated to the service of God. He was not a spiritual couch potato. He was a man waiting for God in the middle of doing life.

The Lord would have us with the same attitude.

I was driving to work, visiting my previous company's New Hampshire facility, when I came upon the number 40; I believe it was an exit number. For some reason, that number grabbed my attention, and I was reminded of two scriptures:

but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; ²

I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. ³

"Wait", the word means to hope, to trust, to expect. We walk through life with an air of expectancy, don't we? We are ever expecting something, whether good, whether bad, whether disappointing, whether hopeful. But the Lord would have us expect good from Him — to hope in Him, to make Him our refuge in times of trouble.

Because life can be hard. 

Simeon was a man waiting for the promise of God. Can we do the same? God has promised good to us, to those who are His children, who have heard the promise of God and received it. Interestingly (actually more than just interesting), Simeon's name means "hearing" or "God has heard". Christmas holds God's promise to us, the gift of Jesus, the promise of peace. All who hear and believe that are blessed with peace.

Taste and see the Lord's goodness to us. Be still (in heart and mind) and know that He is God. He is faithful. He will bring about what He has promised to you: your freedom, the deepest desires put in your heart by Him. In this season of waiting, as we hope for that expected gift, that family visit, that box from Amazon, that wrapped expectancy under the tree, it is my prayer for you that all the waiting will remind you to wait for Him and to expect His nearness.

God bless you, and a merry Christmas to all!

References

¹ Luke 2:25

² Isaiah 40:31 

³ Psalm 40:1