“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word, I hope,” Psalm 130:5.
This past summer, my family went to Legoland. It was a beautiful day, and despite some temper tantrums, we had a great time. The source of much of the angst was a little thing we call waiting. More precisely, waiting in line. The rides were so close, yet so far away. We could see the cars spinning and hear the screams of delight from the riders, but we only ever moved a few feet at a time. For young children, this is sheer torture.
It’s torture for adults too.
My wife was constantly checking the park app, determining the optimal wait times for each ride. When we entered the park as it opened, we made a beeline for the largest attraction. As I walked, holding my daughter’s hand, she looked up at me and said, “Daddy, you’re going too fast for me.” Fast forward a couple hours and we told our son to lie that he was one year older so that he could get on the shorter line.
The lesson was clear: waiting is for suckers; avoid it at all costs. Most of us hate waiting. Whether it’s sitting in traffic, waiting a whole 48 hours for our prime delivery, or anticipating the latest iPhone release. We are constantly in a hurry, desiring immediate resolution and gratification.
This is one of the most challenging things about Advent; it’s about waiting. It’s a season of anticipation. We await nothing short of the full and total redemption of the world. This is a thing we can imagine, but not grasp. We see it in part, but not fully.
And we need it desperately.
“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord” the Psalmist states (130:1). “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word, I hope…O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities,” (Psalm 130:3-5,7-8).
Waiting is a recognition of our powerlessness to save ourselves and of God’s majestic redemption. As you wait, rest in the hope of Christ’s victory.