The Messiah is Worth the Wait – Week of December 12, 2022
Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
James 5:7-8
ECME Devotion December 12, 2022
See series: ECME Devotions
Did you know that throughout their lifetime, the average person spends five years waiting in lines? That’s a long time to wait! We wait in line at the grocery store, at the gas pump, at a stoplight. We are people that are used to waiting.
Today, God’s Word encourages us to wait for the Lord as farmers wait for the harvest. Why a farmer, you ask? Well, I think we have a lot to learn from farmers and the way in which they wait.
You see, farmers are some of the most patient and skillful “waiters” in society. They are forced to wait for months to see the fruits of their labor. They don’t just sit around and do nothing, but rather they work while they are waiting. They trust in God’s provision while they wait. They don’t give up waiting when times are hard. Farmers have a lot to teach us about waiting.
Sometimes, we want God to go by our own timeline. We can begin to think that he has forgotten us. In truth, there is so much beauty in the wait. God is growing and strengthening us, just as the crops, as we wait for his timeline to be revealed.
God also has work for us to do in the wait. Just as the farmer works the fields in the wait, we also have important work to do as we wait for Jesus’ return. We are spreading the seed and watering the faith of ourselves and those around us while we look for the coming of the Messiah.
While we wait, we can trust that God will provide for us just as he sends rain for the farmer’s crops. Even when times are hard, we need not give up, because we know God’s promises are always true and that he is coming to take us home with him in heaven.
Advent is a time of waiting. As humans, we are used to the wait, but that doesn’t always make it easy. Scripture gives us incredible encouragement today in James. “…be patient, and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” Brother and sisters, find beauty in the wait, work in the wait, trust in the wait. Rest assured that God keeps his promises. The Messiah is coming for us!
Prayer:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
CW21 327:3-4 / CW93 23:3-4
O come, O Dayspring, from on high,
and cheer us by your drawing nigh;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
O come, O Key of David, come,
and open wide our heav’nly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
