Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. James 5:7-8 (NLT)
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness… 2 Pet. 3:9 (NIV)
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. Isa. 30:18 (ESV)
Heavenly Father, the Advent theme of “waiting” confronts me in every context of life. Why am I in such a hurry? Why the rush? At just the right time, you sent Jesus. Not a day too early, and not a day too late. But as for me, cars in front of me cannot move fast enough; FedEx, UPS, and mail can’t get to my house quick enough; restaurants can’t bring food to my table soon enough, and Wi-Fi cannot be speedy enough.
Worse, is how my impatience plays out in relationships. I finish people’s sentences; I fidget instead of linger; I launch instead of listen. Instead of a non-anxious presence, I often give the impression “Speak quick, ‘cause I’m moving on.”
Father, I repent. Have mercy on my busy, cluttered, in too-much-of-a-hurry self. According to you, the only thing that counts is “faith expressing itself in love” (Gal. 5:6), impatience expressing itself in irritability. People are forever; stuff is for the ash heap.
Father, thank you for not being in a hurry; thank you for waiting to be gracious to us; thank you for not being slow about your promises. Thank you for being patient with my impatience. I lament my busyness and repent of my hurriedness. Help me recalibrate so that I might live and love at the pace of grace. I want to be the farmer who waits patiently for the harvest—the harvest guaranteed by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
I won’t make promises I cannot keep; but I simply collapse on Christ as this day begins. For sufficient grace, I trust you, and praise you. So very Amen I pray, in Jesus’ merciful and mighty name.
