“The secret of waiting is the faith that the seed has been planted, that something has begun. Active waiting means to be present fully to the moment, in the conviction that something is happening. A waiting person is a patient person. The word “patience” means the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us.” – Henri Nouwen
A friend once told me that Lent is the season God hunts for our hearts especially poignantly. If so, then Advent is the time He waits for us to hunt for His. A longing to see the promised Messiah characterizes December as we journey towards Christmas. Around my friends and the larger Rep community, I see the same theme – a great Convergence of many plans and His leading seem to come together after many challenges when suddenly there is a – Pause –.
Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now?” —John 13:37
For some it’s awaiting for a job offer to come through. It’s the moment before the decision to invest in faith on a business opportunity God has touched. Or the long wait for God to unravel some particularly difficult hurt in our hearts – a broken relationship, an unanswered prayer, recalcitrant sin.
It is in that – Pause –, in that Desert of waiting that God sifts our heart. There we learn to come before the Father again with child-like anticipation, trusting Him to provide. Until we echo the ancient call:
Maranatha, maranatha! Come, O Lord!
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