Waiting Devotional

The college where I work wanted to compile an Advent Devotional. They asked students, faculty and staff to submit brief Advent thoughts to be included in the devotional. I haven't yet seen the finished product, but here is the entry I submitted.

Waiting…

I don’t like to be late. I’m one of those people who like to be early to things. I don’t mind waiting if I know that I showed up to an event early. However, I want to make sure that I’m situated and prepared by the time the event (be it a meeting, a show, or whatever).

Not everyone has this tendency to be early. In fact, it seems to me that everyone is always late for everything. That may just be my perspective, but I feel like I’m the only one who subscribes to the philosophy, “If you are early, then you are on time. If you’re on time, then you are late.”

I also like to know what’s coming up next. I want to be prepared for “the next thing”. So, at a play or a concert, I always have the bulletin. That way, I can peek and see what’s happening next.

Unfortunately for me, God does not operate on this same assumption. God will continually surprise us. We don’t know what’s coming next, so we have to prepare ourselves for anything. And God is a little like the stock market, “Past performance is no indication of future results.”

In Isaiah, God says as much, “Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; not it spring forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:18-19). God is ready to surprise us with the next new “thing.” I don’t think any of us can imagine what that new thing will be like. Of course, there are some who make a lot of money trying to predict. But in the end, I’m sure God will surprise us.

So, what does that mean for us? We are to wait. We are to prepare ourselves? For what, you ask? Prepare ourselves for anything.