The Waiting of Advent

"The Advent season is a season of waiting, but our whole life is an Advent season, that is, a season of waiting for the last Advent, for the time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth."
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer in God is in the Manger

It's that time of year again—what the songs describe as "the most wonderful time of year." The time of year when we deck the halls, attend parties and plays, wrap presents, and bake cookies. It's the Christmas season.

For believers, this season is a time of remembrance and celebration. We call these weeks leading up to Christmas "Advent." The word "advent" is derived from a Latin word meaning “coming” or “arrival.” These weeks are a time of anticipation. Of expectation and preparation and looking forward to something hoped for. It's a time to rejoice over God's goodness and faithfulness in fulfilling his promise to redeem us from sin. It's a time to dwell on the incarnation of Christ and what it means that our Savior was born to die.

What this means is, Advent is a time of waiting.

I don’t know about you, but I spend much of my life waiting for something: for the light to change, for a response to my text or email, for the nurse to call my name. I wait for hard things, like answers to medical tests and for good things, like a vacation to start. I wait for dreams to come true and for prayers to be answered. 

Really, the Christian life is one of waiting. We live in the in-between, a time between Christ's ascension and his promised return. We wait for Christ to come again and make all things new. We wait for his glory to be revealed and his promises fulfilled. We wait for eternity where we will live forever worshiping our Savior.

To be honest, I’m not the best at waiting. I am impatient. I want time to speed things up and for things happen. I want things to take place on my time table, according to my plan. This means I often look at waiting as wasted time—time that could be used doing other things. I don’t see waiting as productive and important in and of itself.  I treat it like a no-man's land, a purgatory of sorts between where I've been and where I want to go. 

However, the Bible encourages waiting and speaks of it as a positive thing, particularly a specific kind of waiting: waiting on the Lord.

• "The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD" (Lam. 3:25-26).

• "From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him" (Is. 64:4).

• “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” (Ps. 27:4).

Waiting doesn't mean not doing anything. It doesn't necessarily entail idleness or sitting still. In the Bible, waiting is a posture of the heart. It's a humble reliance upon the One who rules all things and holds all things together. It's living out the knowledge that God is good and faithful and will always be so. Biblical waiting requires hope and trust in our steadfast God.

These days of Advent remind us that waiting is a good thing. As we spend time this season remembering God’s promises in the Old Testament and how they were fulfilled in the New, we see how God works in the waiting. We see how God is faithful and always keeps his promises. We see that he meets his people’s needs at just the right time. And that his Word always comes to pass.

In the passage above from Lamentations, waiting is described as "the soul who seeks him." This means there is work to be done in our waiting, important soul work. While we wait for the Lord to move in our life, to answer our prayers, to return again in glory, we are to seek him. We seek him through prayer and through his word. We seek him by looking for his glory—by being alert and aware to his work in this world. By seeing his hand of providence in all things.

And we wait for him with hope. Like a child on Christmas Eve who can't fall asleep, excited for Christmas morning, we wait for our Father with great expectation. We anticipate the good things he will do. We do so because we know the character and ways of the One for whom we wait.

Yes, waiting can be hard. But it’s the way of life for a Christian. As we practice a brief season of waiting this Advent season, may it remind us what it looks like to live out a life of waiting. For we wait on a good and faithful God.

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The Wonder of God's Faithfulness

When my kids were little, I spent hours reading to them. More often than not, I read them the same story over and over. “Read it again!” they’d ask, just as excited to hear it the tenth time as they did the first time. But after reading the same story on repeat, I wasn’t as thrilled. I lost my fervor to speak in different voices. I found myself reading it faster just to get it over with.

This is true with many things in life. I get excited about something new and enjoy the task. It might be experimenting with a new recipe or starting a new job or learning a new skill, but after doing it over and over again, the newness wears off and I get bored. I find the mundane tiresome.

How different is our God!

From the beginning of time, he ensures the sun rises and sets and each day. The seasons come and go at their appointed times year after year. Animals are fed and cared for. The earth is watered so that food grows and is harvested. God does these things not begrudgingly, but in spectacular fashion. Sunsets never cease to amaze and thrill. The crimson and amber hue on the leaves outside the window are just as beautiful this year as the they were the last. All his works are perfect and he is faithful to perform them.

Even more, he is faithful in our lives. He hears the same prayers from my heart day after day and never tires to hear from me. When I ask him to “provide for me again!” or “deliver me again!” he does so with joy. He never tires or grows bored or desires something new and different. He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 3:8). He is faithful in all that he does. As Moses sang, “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he” (Deut. 32:4). This means we can depend on God. We can know he is present and with us at all times. We can trust in his steadfast love and faithfulness. Like a child, we can take delight in a God who never ceases to perform wonders for his people. What he promises always comes to pass. What he decrees always stands.

Just as my children loved to hear the same story, “just one more time” and just as they trusted in me to be there to read it to them, how much more so can we find joy and wonder in our God who awakens us each morning with brilliant colors splashed across the sky. How much more will our God be present with us, hear us, and deliver us, no matter how many times we ask.

How have you seen God’s faithful works today?

“Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!” (Ps. 103:22).

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When We Speak the Gospel to One Another

“Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name” (Malachi 3:16).

What happens when Christians speak to one another?

Imagine being that proverbial fly on the wall in the church narthex on Sunday morning. People stand around in small groups, refilling their cups of coffee, and catching up on each other’s news after a week apart. What are the two moms saying to each other as their littles pull on their skirts and tug on their hands? What are the trio of men in the corner laughing about? What is the greeter saying to the new couple by the door? What is the older gentleman saying as he shakes the pastor’s hand?

In the book of Malachi, the prophet speaks to a group of discouraged post-exilic people. They face unexpected hardship and adversity and are tempted to doubt God’s goodness and faithfulness. Their worship is half-hearted. They aren’t living as God’s covenant people. Many have responded in disobedience. They’ve even stopped giving God his tithe. In chapter three, we see God’s people speak against God, complaining against him, saying things like, Why should we bother living a life of obedience? Where has it gotten us? They believed serving God was futile.

That’s when Malachi 3:16 says, “Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another.”

There were two groups of people listening to the prophet: those who were grumbling in their hearts and those who feared the Lord. Those who grumbled and complained against God did not receive the prophets words; they quickly disregarded what he said. They remained firm and committed to their sin. But there was also a remnant of those who feared the Lord. They heard the prophet and responded in repentance. And then they spoke to one another. They preached the gospel to each other. They encouraged and exhorted each other in the truth. They wanted their friends to return to the Lord. Calvin comments, “it is an evidence of true repentance, when each one endeavors as much as he can to unite to himself as many friends as possible, so that they may with one consent return to the way from which they had departed, yea, that they may return to God whom they had forsaken.”

What does it mean to be a God-fearer? It is to respond to him with awe, wonder, reverence, love, honor, obedience, and trust. It is to see him as greater. It is to love the Lord wholeheartedly, as a child loves and reveres his father. And when convicted of sin, the fearful turn back to their God in repentance and trust.

But even more, the fearful preach the gospel to one another. They know they are not isolated islands unto themselves. They are united to one another by faith in Christ. So they remind each other of what is true and right. They speak of God’s character and his ways. They point to the goodness and grace of God in Jesus Christ. They help each other see how the good news speaks to every area of life, bringing light to the darkness. They remind the weak and weary that the Man of Sorrows understands their sufferings so much, he suffered and died in their place.

And they walk beside each other in the journey of faith.

The prophet tells us that God saw and heard what these God-fearers said to one another. He took note of it. And he did something unusual: he wrote it down in a book of remembrance. The prophet wants the faithful to know that their obedience is not futile or meaningless. There will come a day when God will judge the world and those whose names are written in the book of life will live with him forever (Rev. 21:27).

Calvin notes, “He shows by the issue itself why a book of remembrance was written—that God in due time would again undertake to defend and cherish his Church. Though then for a time many troubles were to be sustained by the godly, yet the Prophet shows that they did not in vain serve God; for facts would at length prove that their obedience has not been overlooked. But the two things which he mentions ought to be noticed; for a book of remembrance is first written before God, and then God executes what is written in the book. When therefore we seem to serve God in vain, let us know that the obedience we render to him will come to an account, and that he is a just Judge, though he may not immediately stretch forth his hand to us.”

May we be God-fearers who encourage one another with the truth. Our faith is not in vain. Christ has conquered sin and death. He will return to judge the earth. And our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Who speaks the gospel to you?

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When God Asks A Question

When my kids were young, they asked lots of questions. How does the car engine run? What does that street sign mean? Why do I have to use good manners? And the one I heard more often than any other: When will we get home?

Questions are an important part of communication and of learning. If we don’t ask, we don’t learn. Many a teacher has said, “there are no dumb questions.” We ask questions to learn more about something—to acquire necessary information. We even ask questions to show another person that we are interested in learning who they are and what is happening in their life.

A question implies that we lack knowledge in some area. We need directions to a location. We need to understand the correct method or steps to accomplish a task. We need data or facts about a situation. We need wisdom and understanding. We ask so that we can know.

Questions God Asks

This leads me to a question: why does God ask questions in the Bible? Consider when Adam and Eve sinned in Genesis 3. They ran and hid from God and the Bible says, “the LORD God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ (v.9). Did he really not know where they were? Did he need directions to find their location? Of course not. God doesn’t need to learn anything; there’s no knowledge he needs to acquire. There’s nothing that he lacks. He sees all things, knows all things, and rules over all things (Ps. 33:13; Lam. 3:37-39; Is. 40:28; Heb. 4:13). He even knows what we are thinking and feeling before we do (Ps. 139:1-3). One commentary suggests God asks them this question, not about their physical location, but their spiritual location. They are no longer united to him as they once were. There is now a barrier between them. A sin barrier. He wants them to confess their sin, to realize the full significance of what has happened. But God does so with grace. He doesn’t seem to appear immediately after they sin, for they have time to create coverings for themselves. They likely hide out all night in the cover of the trees until morning. God doesn’t come stomping his way to them. He simply walks in the garden as he always did with them each morning. They then receive the due punishment for their sin—but grace upon grace!— they learn of a promised Redeemer to come (Gen. 3:15). He covers them with a sacrificed animal skin and sends them out of the garden.

God asks another interesting question in 1 Kings 19. This is the story of what happened with Elijah after he killed the prophets of Baal in the previous chapter. Queen Jezebel learns of it and promises vengeance against him. He flees in fear into the wilderness and says, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers” (v. 4). An angel attends to him, feeds him, and he rests. Then he goes to meet with God on Mount Horeb. There God asks him a question, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (v.9). Is God surprised that Elijah has shown up at the mountain to see him? No. God sent an angel to attend to him, to strengthen him so that he could journey to the mountain to speak to him. Elijah responds by recounting all that he had done as a prophet and how God’s people continue in their worship of false gods. God then reveals himself to Elijah and not in the way he expected. He reveals himself not in wind, earthquake, or fire (ways in which he showed himself to Moses and the people on Mt. Sinai) but instead, in a gentle whisper—in silence (vv.11-12). God then asks him again, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (v. 13).

God asks so that Elijah would see what brought him to this place—his fear, not of God, but of Jezebel. Elijah believed he had failed in his job. He believed God’s people would never turn from their sins. He believed he was all alone. And he saw Jezebel as greater than the God who rules the wind, the earth, and fire. He forgot that he was never alone. God was merciful to Elijah even as he complained and despaired and forgot the truth. Even before Elijah made it to the mountain, God met Elijah in his exhaustion with food and rest. He then told Elijah his plan to destroy the house of Ahab, save a faithful remnant, and provide a prophet to replace him. Even more, Elijah had feared death by the hand of Jezebel; God made a way for him to never face death (2 Kings 2:11).

What about when God asks Jonah a question? Many are familiar of Jonah’s story where he fled from God rather than obey him. He didn’t want to bring God’s word to his enemies and see them repent and God spare their lives. So he took a ship going the opposite direction and ended up in the belly of a great fish. He eventually—and begrudgingly—went to the city of Nineveh and called them to repentance. They did repent and God did not destroy them. Jonah then responds in anger. He says, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live” (vv.2-3). And God responds with a question. “Do you do well to be angry?”

In many ways, this is rhetorical. As readers, we know Jonah’s anger is not righteous anger. God doesn’t ask it because he doesn’t know the answer. He doesn’t ask it because Jonah needs to explain himself or justify his response. He asks it so that Jonah would evaluate his heart and see the sin that resides there and repent. He’s offering him the same opportunity God gave to the Ninevites.

When God Asks Us a Question

These three accounts make me think that when God asks a question, it might be for our benefit rather than for his. He asks questions so that we might learn. It’s no coincidence that each of these stories show people on the run, hiding from what they fear. But they hide because their fears are disordered fears. They hide because they don’t fear God with a holy fear—he isn’t great in their eyes. Someone or something else has become greater. Adam and Eve desired to be like God and sinned against him by eating the fruit. They realized their nakedness and feared standing before God in their shame. Elijah feared Jezebel and saw only her wrath and power, forgetting that the LORD of hosts never left his side. Jonah feared the loss of what he held dear; he feared the Ninevites would receive the grace he believed belonged only to the nation of Israel.

In each of these circumstances, they turned their gaze from God. They yielded their heart to something else. They forgot who he was. They forgot who they were. So God asked a probing question—a question that gets at the heart of their problem.

What question might God be asking of you or me today? Where are we spiritually? What has brought us to this place? Is it right and good for us to think or feel the way we do? God knows the true state of our hearts. He knows where our allegiances lie. He knows the ways our hearts are tempted to seek life and hope apart from him. He knows the false loves we turn to. He knows how we worship what we fear and fear what we worship and far too often, it’s not him.

God knows. The question is, do we know?

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The Encouragement We Really Need

While riding my exercise bike one morning, I listened as the online trainer talked about difficulties he had overcome in both physical training and in life. He then said something like, “whatever you are going through, you will get through it, if you just believe in yourself.”

“Just believe in yourself.” It’s a phrase we hear all the time, so much so that it seems true. After all, if I don’t believe I can do something, like say run a marathon, I likely won’t try that hard to train and therefore won’t finish the race. But what about other things we face in life? Does belief in oneself help someone when their spouse betrays them? Does belief in oneself make the cancer go away? Does belief in oneself pay the bills? Does belief in oneself rescue us from our fears? Does belief in oneself save us from sin, restore us into right relationship with God, and bring reconciliation to broken relationships? (Those are rhetorical questions, by the way.)

The Bible cautions against belief in oneself and often calls such belief idolatry. That’s because it is the Lord alone who delivers his people. It is the Lord alone who is our strength and shield, our life and hope. That’s what the writer of Psalm 121 wrote in this Psalm of Ascent. When Israelite pilgrims journeyed to the temple in Jerusalem for sacred celebrations and worship, they sang specific psalms along the way. Our family once visited Israel and as our bus traveled from the Judean countryside, up the steep and winding roads to Jerusalem, we recited these same psalms together, including Psalm 121. It is a psalm which reminds us to keep our gaze set on our only source of hope in times of trouble.

And it’s not ourselves.

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

The pilgrim’s journey to Jerusalem likely paralleled the daily troubles of life as they faced danger and uncertainty on the dusty roads. There were often thieves lying in wait, looking for travelers from whom they could steal. The desert sun bore down on them. Wild animals were a concern. In their journey, God’s people trusted in their covenant making and keeping Yahweh to keep and preserve them, both in daily life and in their travels to the temple, to the place of God’s presence. In this psalm, we see that their hope and help was found not in created things—and certainly not in themselves—but in the Creator (v.1). He is the omnipotent God who spoke and light appeared. He is the one true King who reigns over the universe and nothing happens apart from his sovereign purpose and will. He is not man that he should need sleep (v.4), therefore he keeps his people always in his care. He is like the shade one seeks when the sun beats down on weary travelers (v.5-6). And more, he keeps his people from all evil (v.7). What a gracious and merciful God!

Six times this passage tells us that God “keeps” his people. The Hebrew word used means to keep, preserve, protect. And it’s not just referring to his people as a whole, but to “you” as an individual. God keeps you in his sovereign care. God protects you from evil. Another thing that stands out is that God alone is our keeper. Nothing in this psalm references things that we do, only what God does for us. He is the one who watches over us. He is the one who keeps and preserve us. He is the one who ensures we endure to eternity. He is the one “who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:8).

In our culture, it sounds encouraging when someone attempts to motivate us by saying “you’ve got this” and “believe in yourself.” The Bible disagrees. There’s no power in those words. There’s no power inherent in us. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing (John 15:5). But the God of all power, the very Creator himself, has called you to himself and he will keep you. That’s real encouragement. “From this time forth and forevermore.”

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The Great Big Sad: Available Now

The Great Big Sad: Finding Comfort in Grief and Loss is now available. This book is the third in the series of children’s books that follow siblings Josh and Mia as they experience hard things in life. We first met them in Tell God How You Feel where they learned to lament to the Lord all their big feelings. In The Great Big Sad, we find them experiencing the death of their grandmother. Each sibling experiences and responds to grief in a different way and the adults in their life help them as they journey through it. They learn to find comfort in the fact that Jesus experienced grief too.

This story is intended for parents and caregivers to read with their children as they seek to disciple them through loss. It includes a letter to parents with suggestions on helping children who have experienced the death of a loved one. There are also discussion questions for families to use at the end of the story.

My hope for the book is that is helps parents walk alongside grieving children. I pray that it equips parents to talk about this difficult topic and helps them point their children to their comfort and hope found in Jesus Christ.

Here are what some readers have said about the book:

I’d love to know what you think of the book and your experience of reading it to your children!