“Listen, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the good promises that I have spoken to the house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah. In those days and at that time, I will cause a righteous Branch to grow up from David’s line. He will establish justice and righteousness on earth. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. This is what she will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:14-16 EHV).
How good are you at waiting? Would you consider yourself a patient person?
Ever since the first gospel promise back in the Garden of Eden, waiting has been a recurring theme woven throughout the pages of Scripture and the lives of believers. In the Old Testament and New Testament alike—and up to this very day—God’s people wait. More specifically, God’s people wait for him to do everything he has promised.
And waiting . . . well, waiting isn’t always easy. Patience is a virtue, as they say, but it’s not a virtue humankind has ever particularly been adept at for long periods. We can be rather impatient, especially when it comes to seeing God’s promises fulfilled. Even more so when some of those promises might not be fulfilled in our lifetimes.
We’re not always comfortable with God’s perfect timetable. Not for our lives or everything that happens in this world. That’s when we—foolishly—tend to take matters into our own hands. And that’s when we as God’s people get into trouble.
Just look through the pages of Scripture and you’ll soon see that impatient waiting (as well as the often-disastrous results of what that leads to) is a common thread in the lives of God’s people—from Adam and Eve to the patriarchs, to Israel wandering in the desert or languishing in exile, all the way down to believers in the New Testament waiting for the promised Messiah.
Truly, we have an everlastingly patient and forgiving God! His loving response to his impatient people has always been the same. “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the good promises that I have spoken to the house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah.”
For Old Testament believers waiting for the promised Messiah, they looked ahead to the fulfillment of that good promise—and when the set time had fully come, God did exactly as he promised. Just as he has always done. He sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law. God sent Jesus, the righteous Branch, to save his people from sin.
For New Testament believers, including you and me, we’re still waiting. Not for Jesus to come into the world the first time, but for Jesus to return, just as he promised when he said, “Look: I am coming soon!” (Revelation 22:7 EHV). And he will.
That day is coming, dear Christian. Until it does, we wait.
But in our waiting, God doesn’t abandon us. He doesn’t say, “Wait for me to fulfill this promise,” and leave it at that. He knows we’re prone to reacting with impatience while we wait. Distractions and temptations surround us, further provoking our impatience. Fears, worries, anxieties, and concerns threaten to occupy our time and attention daily.
So what does God do? He shows us how we can wait patiently. Over and over again, he patiently reminds us of his promises in his Word and sacraments. He also provides us with comforting instances when we see some of his good promises fulfilled in our lives.
A promise is only as good as the one making it, right? Well, our God is the God who keeps all of his good promises. All of them. Not one of them shall ever be broken. While we wait, God directs our attention to who he is.
So in this Advent season and beyond, while you wait to celebrate Jesus’ birth and look ahead to the day when he returns, keep your eyes fixed on God and who he is. The days have come, are here right now, and will come again when God fulfills all his good promises to you, me, and all believers—all for Jesus’ sake.
With 50 comforting devotions, From Heaven Above is more than just an Advent devotional—it’s a fresh look at the marvelous promises of God that have always restored and strengthened God’s people as they waited for Christ’s first appearance and now for his second coming.
Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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