Why Advent Begins with Waiting

Waiting isn't something most of us enjoy. We wait in traffic, on hold with customer service, in line at the pharmacy, in doctors' offices, and for test results. In a world of next-day shipping, instant messaging, and streaming on demand, waiting feels like wasted time. Understanding the meaning of Advent waiting can change how you experience the whole season.

But Advent begins with waiting on purpose. For centuries, the church has set aside the weeks before Christmas not to rush toward the celebration, but to sit for a while in the longing that came before it.

There's a reason for that. Waiting has something to teach us that we can't learn any other way.

God's people waited a long time

From the first promise of a Savior in Genesis 3:15 to the birth of Jesus, God's people waited for thousands of years.

Abraham waited twenty-five years for the son God had promised him. Joseph waited years in slavery and prison before God raised him up. Israel waited four hundred years in Egypt before the exodus. David was anointed king as a young man but waited years, often on the run, before he took the throne.

And the whole nation waited for the Messiah. The prophets spoke of a coming King, a suffering Servant, a child called Immanuel. But generations came and went, and he didn't come.

Even after the prophets, there were roughly four hundred years between the last Old Testament book and the birth of Christ. No new prophets. No new Scripture. Just waiting.

When Jesus finally came, there were people still watching for him.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

Luke 2:25

Anna, an elderly widow who had spent decades worshiping in the temple, recognized the baby Jesus and spoke of him "to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38).

They had waited faithfully. And God kept his word.

Waiting reveals what we trust

Waiting has a way of exposing our hearts. When we don't get what we want right away, we find out what we're really trusting in.

Do we trust God's timing, or do we try to take matters into our own hands? Do we keep hoping, or do we grow bitter? Do we keep obeying, or do we give up?

Abraham and Sarah, for instance, grew tired of waiting for the promised son and tried to make it happen their own way through Hagar (Genesis 16). The result was pain and conflict. Waiting is hard, and Scripture is honest about how often God's people struggled with it.

But Scripture also shows that God is faithful even when his people waver. He kept his promise to Abraham and Sarah. And he kept his promise to send a Savior.

Waiting isn't the same as doing nothing

Biblical waiting is active, not passive. It's not sitting around idly. It involves:

• Hoping. Trusting that God will do what he said, even when you can't see how.
• Praying. Bringing our longings to God honestly and repeatedly.
• Obeying. Living faithfully today while we wait for tomorrow.
• Watching. Staying alert to what God is doing.

Simeon and Anna weren't sitting around doing nothing. They were worshiping, praying, and living righteous lives. Their waiting was full of faithfulness.

but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Isaiah promises that waiting on the Lord doesn't drain us. It renews our strength. Waiting rightly, in trust and hope, is where God meets us and refreshes us.

We are still waiting

Here's something easy to forget: Advent isn't only about remembering the first coming of Christ. It's also about looking forward to his second coming.

We live between the two. Christ has come, lived, died, and risen. He reigns now at the right hand of the Father. But he hasn't yet returned to make all things new. Sin, sickness, sorrow, and death are still here.

That's why so many of us feel the ache of waiting even now. We wait for healing. We wait for a prodigal to come home. We wait for a job, a marriage, a child, a resolution, relief. We wait for the day when every tear will be wiped away.

Advent gives words to that longing. It tells us that God's people have always waited, and that God has always been faithful. The same God who kept his promise in Bethlehem will keep his promise to return.

He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Revelation 22:20

What waiting teaches us

Waiting shapes us in ways nothing else can:

• It teaches dependence. We can't make God move faster. We have to trust him.
• It teaches patience. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), and it grows in seasons of waiting.
• It deepens longing. When we wait for something, we value it more when it comes.
• It reveals God's faithfulness. Looking back on seasons of waiting, we often see how God was working all along.

How to practice waiting this Advent

Here are a few simple ways to embrace waiting this December:

• Name what you're waiting for. Write it down. Bring it to God in prayer each day of Advent.
• Read the promises. Spend time in the prophets, especially Isaiah, and see how God kept his word in Christ. If he kept those promises, he'll keep his promises to you.
• Slow down on purpose. Choose one ordinary moment, like your morning coffee or the drive to work, and use it to pray instead of scroll.
• Don't rush to Christmas. Let yourself feel the longing of Advent before the celebration of Christmas. Maybe save some of your favorite Christmas songs for later in the month.
• Look forward. Remember that the story isn't over. Jesus will come again and make all things new.

Waiting with hope

Waiting can feel empty. But Advent teaches us that waiting on God is never empty. It's full of promise. The people who waited for the Messiah weren't disappointed. And neither will we be.

Wait well this December

Our printable study, Advent for the Working Woman, walks you through God's long-promised plan in 25 short readings, from the garden to the manger. Along the way, you'll meet women who waited on God's promises, like Sarah, Elizabeth, and Anna. Each day takes about ten minutes, with room to write. It's $10 and designed for women whose Decembers are anything but quiet.

The waiting isn't empty. It's full of promise.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.