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An Advent Prayer for Waiting and Repenting of Impatience

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:7-8

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness… 2 Pet. 3:9

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. Isa. 30:18

     Dear heavenly Father, the Advent theme of waiting confronts me in every context of life. Why am I in such a hurry? Why the rush? At just the right time, you sent Jesus. Not a day too early, not a day too late. But as for me, cars in front of me cannot move fast enough; FedEx, UPS, and mail can’t get to my house quick enough; restaurants can’t bring food to my table soon enough and Wi-Fi cannot be speedy enough.

     Worse, is how my impatience plays out in relationships. I finish people’s sentences; I fidget instead of linger; I launch instead of listen. Instead of a non-anxious presence, I often give the impression “Speak quick, ’cause I’m moving on.”

     Father, I repent. Have mercy on my busy, cluttered, in too-much-of-a-hurry self. According to you, the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love (Gal. 5:6); not meeting deadlines with time left over. People are forever; stuff is for the ash heap.

     Father, thank you for not being in a hurry; thank you for waiting to be gracious to us; thank you for not being slow about your promises. Thank you for being patient with my impatience. I lament my busyness and repent of my hurriedness. Help me recalibrate so that I might live and love at the pace of grace. I want to be the farmer who waits patiently for the harvest—the harvest guaranteed by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus

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