I think one of the hardest parts about waiting, is the silence. It can last for so long, tempting us to give up. We quit trying. The people of God had waited four hundred long years. No word from God. No prophet. No hope. Just the sound of silence. It’s in these moments that we feel like maybe God has forgotten. He’s forgotten to be faithful. Maybe he doesn’t work anymore. Our prayers seem to go unanswered and the wait is long and we give up. We don’t have the capacity to pray let alone serve. But it’s in moments of waiting where we have to put one foot in front of the other. We do the next thing even if it’s mundane and insignificant. We continue washing the dishes. We continue making the beds. We continue cleaning our houses. We continue feeding our family, because it’s the next thing.
Our reading today begins with Zechariah and Elizabeth, just two people doing the mundane in the waiting. Zechariah was a priest and Elizabeth was his wife. And not only were they waiting for the Messiah, but personally, they were waiting in their own pain of longing for a child. They walked through the season of barrenness and into the season where the hope of bearing a child fades into final hopelessness. You may know this heartbreak well. You’ve no doubt experienced the fears and frustration that come with this particular season of waiting. I pray that your heart is encouraged today to continue serving even in the waiting.
Remember: Luke 1:5-7
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
Zechariah was a priest. Notice how Zechariah and Elizabeth were both described. They were both righteous. BEFORE GOD. Their outer working matched their inner working. They both walked blamelessly and followed the commandments of the Lord. Four hundred years is a long time and it would be very difficult to continue on in faithfulness with no word from the Lord. It would be easy to quit serving, quit trying. But they were blameless. They followed God faithfully and yet — please don’t miss this — and yet, they were still without children. The one blessing that they longed for they were kept from. It’s not because they were living in sin, it’s not because they had failed to obey God in some way; it’s simply because God was waiting for his perfect time and his perfect plan to unfold.
Reflect
If you have experienced a season of waiting that causes you to live in a place of shame or if someone (or your own mind) has condemned you into thinking you are the cause of this blessing being withheld, hear this truth today: Righteous people experience the silence of God, but God is sovereign in our suffering and waiting.
So, the first sound to be aware of in silence is the Sound of Service. Waiting is active, not passive. Continue serving God faithfully while you are trusting his plan will unfold in HIS perfect timing. Keep holding on to hope in Christ. Keep walking with him in the waiting. Trust that his ways are much higher than our ways and he is busy forming us into his own image through the process of waiting.
Respond
Carry this breath prayer in your heart today:
Breathe In:
Jesus, you work good in my waiting
Breathe Out:
Help me serve you while I wait.
The Journey
This journey will take us from December 1st through December 25th. My hope is that it would bring you encouragement in whatever waiting room you find yourself in during this Advent season. Each daily podcast will be short and sweet, leaving you with something to carry in your heart as you wait. You can also subscribe to my newsletter here.
