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 (ESV)
You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. James 5:8 (NLT)
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness… 2 Pet. 3:9 (NIV)
Heavenly Father, it’s the waiting part of Advent that “messes” with 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, and not a day late. It will be the same with Jesus’ second coming. You’re punctual, and won’t be rushed.
But as for me, traffic and check-out lines can’t move fast enough, UPS and FedEx can’t deliver my stuff early enough. Restaurants can’t serve me soon enough, Wi-Fi can’t be speedy enough, and people can’t make their point fast enough. Forgive me.
I repent, Father. Early in this season of Advent, I want to recalibrate my heart to move at the pace of grace, the speed of mercy, and the rate of love. Free my busy, cluttered, in-too-much-of-a-hurry self. Slow me down, and my friends in this daily community of prayer.
According to you, the only thing that counts is “faith expressing itself in love” (Gal. 5:6), not impatience expressing itself in irritation. May our “to love lists” supersede our “to do lists” a thousand-fold.
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 our impatience. We purpose to slow down, look up, listen expectantly, and linger in the presence of Jesus. Oh, come let us adore Him, indeed. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ wonderful and merciful and name.
