THE GREAT WAIT!

March 5

THE GREAT WAIT

Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.

Luke 2:29-32

In Luke 2, Joseph and Mary take the infant Jesus to the temple to be dedicated to the Lord. There we meet two people — a man named Simeon, who had been waiting his whole life to see the Messiah, and a woman named Anna, who really loved God. In fact, “she never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying” (verse 37). And she was old — eighty-four years old. She, too, had been waiting to see the Messiah.

In fact, all of Israel had been waiting. It had been four hundred years since the Lord had last said anything to the people of Israel. This is sometimes called the “intertestamental period” by Bible scholars. But really it should be called the “intertestamental silence.” No prophets. No Scripture. No word from God for more than four centuries.

But after four hundred years, the Messiah was there in the temple! Of course, Jesus didn’t start his ministry for thirty more years.

Sometimes God doesn’t do things as quickly as we’d like. And we get angry with God or disappointed with him. But just because nothing seems to be happening doesn’t mean that God isn’t doing something or getting ready to do something big. Instead of being frustrated while you wait, you can spend time talking with God and gaining reassurance of his presence. As God shows us in the life of Jesus, waiting to see what God will do is truly worth the wait. ♦

PRAYER

Lord, I am waiting for …