Advent Devotional: Waiting on the World to Change

I wrote this little piece for our church's advent devotional this year. My prayer is that it brings you a little bit of hope and peace during this crazy, unexpected year. Thanks for reading!

“See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.4 Remember the teaching of my servant Moses, the statutes and ordinances that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.5 Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.” Malachi 4:1-6

What is the longest amount of time you had to wait for something to happen? When it finally did happen, how did you react? Were you surprised? Were you excited? Were you in disbelief? Even more, what other events occurred in your life and/or in the world while you were waiting? For faithful Jews during the first century CE, who held onto God’s promises in the book of Malachi, their answer would have been at least 400-500 years!

In the final prophecy of the Old Testament, the prophet received a word from the LORD where God calls his people Israel to turn from their apathy and covenant-breaking and to return to covenant faithfulness. After this prophecy, there was no recorded prophetic word from the Lord. Between Malachi and the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry in 29-30 CE, faithful followers of the Lord witnessed their people and their culture find favor under the rule of foreigners, be stuck in the middle of a power struggle, thrive in independence, and lastly be decimated and oppressed by the Roman Empire—the ultimate foreigner. During this time, the only source of hope for God’s faithful was God’s words recorded in Hebrew Scripture and God’s final promises given in Malachi. While they were waiting on God, they were also waiting on the world to change.  

It is an understatement to say that 2020 has been a hot mess. With a global pandemic, peaceful protests and chaotic riots in the streets, and a highly contentious presidential election all occurring at once, it is not difficult to sit back for a few moments and to wait on the world to change. Even more, amid these world events, you may be waiting for tough and painful circumstances in your personal life to change. 

While you are waiting in these uncertain times—whatever your circumstances are—may you sing the following words over yourself as Christian worship artist Amanda Cook sings in her song “Shepherd”: “In the process, in the waiting, you’re making melodies over me. And your presence is the promise, for I am a pilgrim on a journey. You will lift my head above the mighty waves. You are able to keep me from stumbling. In my weakness you are the strength that comes from within. Good shepherd of my soul, take my hand lead me on.”

Prayer: Faithful God, we come to you in this season where chaos reigns in our lives and in our world. We confess that it is painful to wait for change and we sometimes doubt that you are even moving. Your Word promises us though that you will always be with us and that we can always come to you when we are weary and burdened. Lord, with our weary hearts we come to you and cling to your presence while we wait for our world to change. While we are waiting though, may we surrender our pain to you and may you give us the courage to move forward and serve with obedience. While we are waiting, may you give us the focus to keep sharing the good news and to keep loving our neighbors and our enemies. While we are waiting, may we have the eyes to see and ear to hear how you are moving so that we can be a source of hope and light to others. While we are waiting, we pray indeed that your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

 


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