Advent: Waiting on God's PromisesPrøve

In the waiting... As we wait expectantly for Christmas, opening our Advent calendars and delighting in each new window; we can be filled with wonder and expectation. Maybe we are anticipating what we might find wrapped under the Christmas tree. Or perhaps we wait for those precious few days with family to share love, laughter, and good food, and a chance to reconnect and remember family traditions. Waiting is part of life… At times it's beautiful, at times it's challenging, but there is always waiting. In scripture we also see those who waited; The Israelites waited for a King… Mary waited for Jesus' birth… Jesus waited to fulfill his work on earth… God waits for our hearts to turn back to him… And we wait too. Waiting is everywhere. And in that poignant, sometimes painful, sometimes unknown season of waiting, what can we hold onto? Where is joy? Where is strength? What keeps us pressing into the hope of what might come? In this season leading up to Christmas, let’s take heart and see what the Bible tells us about waiting with joy, hope, and anticipation. Prayer “Lord, give us your heart in all of our waiting – whether there is joy, uncertainty, or challenges, help us hold fast to the hope we profess. Be our strength and hope. In Jesus name, Amen.”