Waiting

It seems we are in a continual wait these days, waiting to see what’s coming around the corner.

This Christmas season is much different from any we’ve experienced before as a society.

Will we be able to gather with friends and family? Will we still have jobs by Christmastime? Will our favorite businesses on Main Street survive the reopening rollbacks and new mandates? Some are even wondering if they will still have a home by the new year.

Waiting.

Waiting for a vaccine. Waiting for jobs and income. Waiting for safety. Waiting for a return to normal, whatever that is!

You know, we may have never faced this before, but we are by no means the first generation to wait.

The Jews waited for many generations for the promised Messiah to arrive. He’d been promised hundreds of years before.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14 NIV

Immanuel. God with us.

The nation waited. And wondered. And waited more.

But one day, in a stable in the little town of Bethlehem, the promised time came.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Luke 2:6-7

Immanuel had arrived.

For Him we wait no more, for He is here! The wait is over. He IS God with us.

In all of our waiting, we can hold to this truth. We are not alone, for our Shepherd is with us. He is with us through the valleys, the storms, and the trials we face. He carries us when we can’t take another step on our own. He knows all of our days from first to last, and has promised to never leave us.

Are you lost in the fog of waiting? Cry out to Immanuel. Listen for his voice, and let it guide you through today and into tomorrow. Find joy in this journey by trusting Him with all of your days.