This past week in bible study we talked about prayer, which is my favorite topic to discuss for various reasons, mostly because it's beautiful. An act of vulnerability, I believe prayer is perhaps one of the most vital ways to connect to God. When a person comes boldly to the throne of grace and presents his or heart to God from an honest place, transformation takes place. The kingdom collides with earth.When thought upon, this is the point of prayer, to ask 'on earth as it is in Heaven', because that's what we are waiting for. The kingdom is here, but it is also to come. We know Jesus, and we have opportunities every day to be Jesus, but we are also waiting upon Him. We are eagerly awaiting the hope of the world.
While we wait, we experience hardship. We struggle. We endure. We fight. We fall to our flesh and battle principalities. We are not waiting easily. While we wait, we break. We yearn. We hurt.
There is rejoicing, and there is great joy most certainly. However, I'm not going to sugar-coat any of my posts. I don't much appreciate teachings of a prosperity Gospel. The Christian faith-the hope of Jesus Christ-goes much deeper than simple child-like concepts. His love is real and wild and strong, and it is worth describing as such. It is the hope for the broken, the 'Good News' for the hungry. Life is incredibly difficult, and anyone who says otherwise only needs to travel to a third-world country. Thankfully, there is a hope to satisfy our hunger.
I'm ever-thankful for joy and laughter, for it is the sunshine that chases winter away. However, winter is still a seemingly long season. Life is hard, it is a simple reality.
So, as we wait for the hope that we have, this 'anchor for the soul', our waiting is hard (but when was anything good ever easy to wait for?). This is the purpose of Advent, to engage intentionally in a period of waiting. To quote Richard Beck:
'Advent, I explained, is sitting in the experience of exile. Waiting, hoping God will act in the future. We are slaves in Egypt. We are exiles in Babylon. We are sad friends mourning the death of Billy. Where is God? We are waiting. That, I said, is Advent. Learning to be patient, learning to wait on God'.Ironically, even in the midst of our waiting for our Savior to bring His kingdom, there is hope, for His hope is both now and to come. Advent is a time of learning. If your flesh is full of angst, then the Spirit can teach you to be peaceful. If you are impatient, then patience can come. If you are hurting, then healing is within your reach, for even though we are waiting on Jesus, He has not left us as orphans. He has given us His Spirit, and it is available to all who call upon His name.
Whatever trial you may be going through, either big or small, remember that you are not alone. Trials also contain potential to grow us, as they can produce character, perseverance, and wisdom in each of us. Remember also that trials remind us of the hope that we have, for as we endure trials we respond out of hungerings that this world cannot fill. Our trials remind us that we long and are made for another world. Trials remind us that we are waiting on Jesus, and if you are aware that you are waiting, then you are in good company.
Job, a man of high integrity, suffered much. Job wanted answers. Wanted justice. Wanted explanations. Wanted God to show up even when it seemed like all hope was lost. Job waited for the kingdom.
Mother Theresa, a woman of valor and virtue, dedicated her life to servanthood and loving 'the least of these', but she admitted to being 'spiritually desolate and incredibly lonely'. She doubted the presence of God in the midst of sufferings that surrounded her, yet she chose to strive for the light even when darkness seemed to hide God's face. In the slums of Calcutta, her life entered into a season in which Jesus felt absent, and in a letter she wrote 'darkness is such that I really do not see-neither with my mind nor with my reason-the place of God in my soul is blank. There is no God in me-when the pain of longing is so great-I just long and long for God'. Mother Theresa waited for the kingdom.
Oftentimes the process of waiting is more beautiful than the moment we receive what we are waiting for, because it is in the process that we grow. If you are waiting for a storm to pass, then learn to dance in the rain. If you are waiting for a good thing to come, then learn to choose contentment in the present moment. Whatever you are waiting for, remember that absolutely nothing compares to the wait of the Christian heart for the kingdom of God. All waiting points to this: all waiting reflects the deepest desire of the human heart, which is waiting upon the kingdom to come in full glory to earth.
The day before Thanksgiving this holiday season I posted the following link Eucharisteo: A Short Greek Lesson . Tonight I am compelled to share a similar truth that was written into that post: joy is within your grasp, because of Jesus. He is the only cornerstone, the firm rock on which we can stand.
This past week I had multiple people come to me asking for prayer, because life was just hitting them all over the head, hard. We prayed with fervor, because sometimes that's all you can do. Just pray, because the need simply flows out of us. Prayer is our biggest blessing and our most underused weapon, and we must remember that it is inexhaustible. We can never pray enough. Whether our prayers are broken ones or full of wholly happiness, they are all lovely songs of praise to God, because in prayer we acknowledge God. We admit that we need His kingdom to come to earth. We give Him a hallelujah.
I'm not sure if you are aware of God's presence or if He seems distant. If you are assured, joyful, peaceful, or sitting on a mountain-top right now, then that is all well. Praise God, and remember that He is still to come.. If you are doubting, hurting, confused, longing, or in any other period in which light seems to be dim, then take heart, dear friend. You are waiting for the kingdom, but you are not alone. Praise God.
'Our willingness to wait reveals the value we place on the object we are waiting for'. The greatest object we could ever wait for is the kingdom of God.
For whoever needs to hear it, take heart, for He has overcome this world.
Even if it is a broken one, offer up your hallelujah.
I recently discovered this song, and I think it is a good reminder for whoever needs it that our hope is in nothing less than Jesus Christ and righteousness.
