Daily Devotional For Tuesday, December 10, 2024
The word of Christmas we are looking at today is EXPECTING. That’s what Advent is all about. The Bible says this in Luke 2:4-6, “And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. (5) He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. (6) And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born” (NLT).
God gave Mary a promise. A seed was planted. Now she had to wait. How long was it until Mary experienced the first signs of new life stirring in her? When did morning sickness start? When did she feel the first kick? When did Jesus first turn over in her tummy? All of these things were signs along the way that Jesus was coming, but still, Mary had to wait. And when her time came, it only got tougher.
Poor Mary. Nine months pregnant and traveling eighty miles on the back of a donkey to an unwelcoming town. This was probably not what she was expecting for the birth of the Son of God. A long, bumpy ride. A dirty stable. There was no Bethlehem General Hospital. Her mother wasn’t even there to help her. It was just Joseph — the most unlikely midwife in history. But the seed of a miracle often sprouts in the soil of adversity.
Advent is the season of expectation when we remember Jesus’ first coming, and we look with anticipation toward His second coming. But for many people, their whole life seems like an Advent season of waiting for the Lord — waiting for a healing, waiting for a break, waiting for some news of hope, waiting for direction, waiting for Jesus to come and set things right. Question: But here is the decision you have to make in your Advent seasons: will you wait in doubt or wait in hope? For so many, the longer they wait, the less hopeful they feel. But the Bible says this in Psalm 27:14, “Wait with hope for the Lord. Be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Yes, wait with hope for the Lord” (GWT).
Waiting for the Lord is a lot like an expectant mother (like Mary) waiting for the birth of her child. There is a longing; an excited expectation, a joyful readiness, even in the midst of her discomfort. In fact, her expectation grows as her discomfort grows. The more uncomfortable she becomes, the more confident she becomes that something — or somebody — is coming. She is not pacing the floor for nine months saying, “Can’t we just hurry this up? We should be able to do this in half the time! Come on kid! What’s the matter with you? Why are you taking so long? Get with the program!” It’s not the baby that has to get with the program. It’s the mom who has to get with the program.
Sometimes I do that when I’m waiting on God. I say, “Come on God. Why are you taking so long? Get with the program!” But it’s not God who has to get with the program. I have to get with the program. Gestation periods are set by God. Question: Has it occurred to you that your waiting period is really a gestation period? And there is nothing you can do to speed up the process. Instead, you must cooperate with God and get ready for deliverance.
The expectant mother doesn’t sit around and do nothing while she is waiting. I know today that many times both parents are involved in the preparation of waiting for their child to come. They busy themselves preparing for what they know is coming. The mother hopefully prepares herself through diet, exercise, and rest. She cuts out unhealthy practices, unhealthy foods, and unhealthy habits. She avoids anything that could have a negative effect on the fruit of her labor. The couple also prepares her environment by making room for new life. They set up a nursery and buy baby supplies and clothing. They do not take a “wait and see” posture. They actively prepare for what they believe is coming. The mother doesn’t know the exact moment, but she knows the moment is coming when everything in her life will change so she fully prepares her body and her environment. The more she prepares, the more ready she becomes; but at the same time, the more ready she becomes, the more uncomfortable she becomes. This is what it looks like to wait with expectation.
When you are waiting on God to birth something new in your life, there is a spiritual gestation period that is accompanied by discomfort, impatience, inconvenience, weariness, pain…and a pilgrimage. And just like an expectant mother, your gestation period is set by God. He decides how long you must wait.
To wait for the Lord is to confidently expect Him to meet you and to make yourself ready. Question: Have you thought that perhaps the reason God is taking so long is because you have not made yourself ready for Him to act? You might think you’re waiting on God, but God just might be waiting on you. Question: Is there something He’s waiting for you to give up — or start up — to make yourself ready for His arrival? You need to prepare yourself and your environment for God to do something new.
My most intimate and profound encounters with God have always come in the most painful times of life. Question: What kind of pain are you going through right now? That pain could mean God is getting ready to birth something new in your life. Don’t give up hope. Get ready. As the Bible says in Psalm 27:14,“Wait with hope for the Lord. Be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Yes, wait with hope for the Lord” (GWT).
Questions To Consider
- Throughout this devotional, five questions were asked that you read. They are all marked this way, Question. Find each of these and take the time to answer them. What did you learn about yourself in answering these questions?
- As we wait expecting the coming Christ child for Christmas 2024, how are you personally preparing for that?
- Take some time to share with your own children and/or grandchildren how you prepared expecting their arrival at their own birth. Express to them your excitement, joy and the challenges you faced in waiting for their birth.
- If you have children or grandchildren, get them to talk about what they are expecting for Christmas this year. Ask them, as they wait for December 25, Christmas Day to come, what is the hardest part for them in waiting? Put it on their own level of understanding, but guide them to answer this question: what do they think Jesus is expecting from them this Christmas 2024?
Scripture To Meditate On: Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Lord, Jesus, in this Advent season, many of us are waiting for You to act on our behalf; waiting for You to bring relief from our pain, waiting for You to answer our prayers. As we wait for You to arrive on the scene, help us to not give up hope, but to wait with confident expectation that You will fulfill Your promise, and that You will complete what You have started. Show us if there is anything You are waiting for us to give up — or start up — so that we can be fully prepared for the good work You are about to do in our lives. We love You Jesus. We pray this in Your name. Amen.”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly