“But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” – Romans 8:25 NKJV
The season of Advent is now officially upon us. This is a season where we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, remembering how the people of Israel waited with hope and expectation for the birth of the Messiah. Similarly, in our individual lives, we wait for God to move in our lives. But what does it mean to wait expectantly?
I’m sure many of us have experienced times when we have prayed to God for something, whether it be guidance, healing, or a miracle, and our faith that God would answer our prayers began to wane. When it comes to circumstances we have been praying about for a long time or ones that seem too big for God to handle, it’s easy to grow weary.
This topic came up at my church last Sunday, and it felt like such a relevant and timely message for me. In these very situations, my pastor talked about the act of waiting expectantly, which is actively waiting on God for something, trusting and knowing He will answer your prayer according to His will for your life.
Abraham and Sarah’s story is one powerful demonstration of expectant waiting. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations but the couple would wait many years into their old age for a child of their own. Despite this, Abraham waited on God with expectation, even when it made no sense and when it seemed absolutely impossible. Though he made the mistake of taking matters into their own hands, Abraham’s faith in God remained, and he and Sarah received a son, just as God had promised.
God’s answers to our prayers may not be exactly how we expect; in my experience, they rarely are. Sometimes the answer is no when we expect yes, or not yet when we expect now. However, God’s answers are always for our good. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:11 that God gives good gifts to those who ask. If we remain obedient to God and seek Him and His will for our lives daily, we can be confident that He will work things out for our good. As Paul said in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
So, knowing this we should eagerly wait with perseverance – withstanding times of doubt, times when we feel God’s ear is not turned toward us. I know this can be incredibly difficult. In the face of this difficulty, rather than resigning, call on the Holy Spirit for strength to overcome any creeping unbelief and increase your faith.
As we enter the season of Advent and prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, let’s fill our hearts with joy and thanksgiving, both for what He has already done and what is yet to come. We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ which resulted in the ultimate gift of salvation, and we continue to wait expectantly for Jesus Christ’s return, during which he will restore His kingdom on this earth and make all things new (Revelation 21). This is our greatest expectation!
Whatever you may be waiting expectantly for God to do, I encourage you to take this period to dig deeper into your relationship with Him with daily prayers, songs of praise and thanksgiving, and reading the Word, and I pray that God blesses you according to His perfect love for you.
