"Now without faith it is impossible to please God for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)
What's the longest you've had to wait for something? I imagine almost everyone has a memory of Christmas Eve as a child; squeezing your eyes shut, trying with all your might to go to sleep on Christmas Eve. For those of you with traditional parents, you knew that even opening one present before Christmas morning was the same as high treason. And so you counted sheep and waited.
Waiting is still difficult. We expect everything to be at our fingertips the moment we have the desire for it. It's a world we're growing into and it's addicting. We live in a world of downloads, high-speed email, on demand, and Hot Pockets. Yet God finds ways of making us wait. Waiting and faith go hand-in-hand.
- We wait for the baby we've dreamed we'd hold in our arms.
- Some wait for a prodigal to come to the end of himself and return home.
- Some are waiting for the phone to ring so we can return to a job with a normal salary and benefits.
- Others are waiting for a spiritual breakthrough that will open our eyes. Waiting is the embodiment of faith.
Are you struggling with a lack of faith? That's OK. It doesn't take much faith to get God's attention. Jesus encouraged his frustrated followers this way: "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20).
Most of us try to grow a forest in one day. Jesus, however, invites you to begin with a tiny seed. Watch it grow and wait for it to become all that you dreamed it would be.
- An entire nation waited centuries before their eternal King appeared.
- Mary wasn't given a full-grown son.
- The wise men from the East didn't see the Messiah appear at their front door.
~ Pastor Todd
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