Waiting with God during Advent

Waiting and waiting well with God may not be synonyms; however, they go together like delicious plates of Thanksgiving leftovers – where you place a little of everything that typically would never touch, creating a beautiful aura of holiday delicacies. When you are in a season of waiting, the passing of time feels insufferable, truly making the time to cook the holiday ham a breeze. Time stands still. And in Advent, when we celebrate the end of the wait with the birth of the promised Messiah, our own personal story of waiting can feel heavy and overlooked, even insignificant. 

But there is good in our waiting, and I want to bring you hope today. It is possible to change your perspective on waiting with God from “Why this?” to “We will overcome.” Your long season of waiting ends, but the waiting is not wasted, especially when we wait well with God. 

“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14 (ESV)

Does the verse from Psalm 27 give you a glimmer of hope? Navigating waiting periods is more than difficult, especially when trying to do it independently.  Jesus knew waiting best: His entire life on earth was a series of stops and waits until His death on the cross, but there are so many accounts in scripture where He pulled away from His ministry to be with His Father, to draw near to Him. 

“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God,” John 13:3 (ESV). 

Because of Jesus’ story, our story ends redeemed. During the waiting period, we can hold on to the truth that we came from and will return to our Father, which provides us with the hope we need during Advent.

Our story ends well, even with the seasons of waiting. We are forever navigating trials, either coming out of one or about to return to one. It is the unfortunate fact of living on this side of heaven in a sinful world. But because of God’s promises, we can reassure our faith in waiting times, knowing that He works all things for good. 

 “and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those are calling according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (ESV). 

This verse is often misunderstood. It does not say that all things are good because we love God, but rather the opposite: all things, even with the waiting, will work together for His good and for a bigger purpose. 

I do not know why we were allowed a season of pregnancy loss and consecutive miscarriages—a season of prolonged waiting.

We would suffer the loss of a pregnancy only to wait and long for another opportunity to carry a child in the hope of a full-term pregnancy. A cycle of waiting that took years to overcome. In the middle of the not-yet, I cried out in anguish, saying why God? Why allow this? Indeed, He could take it away, but He didn’t. 

I remember one holiday in our waiting season that surprised me: Halloween. I still feel the crisp air and smell of campfires and leaves as cousins gather to trick-or-treat in our picturesque neighborhood, lined with trees and falling leaves. My son was a cow this year, and despite the joyful holiday, I felt none of it. October 31 was more than Halloween for me; it should have been our second child’s due date. 

All I could think about was how I should look like a pumpkin; it took everything I could not to cry.

My husband didn’t remember the due date like I did, nor did those around us. Life is busy, and they grieved with me for a moment, but this moment, grief resurfaced in our time of waiting as it does throughout our waiting process. It is never not there; we get better at emotional management, but the emotions we feel while we are waiting on God are ever-present. I retired early and cried myself asleep. 

What I can reflect on and take away from the past years of waiting is that even though I screamed in denial, heartache, and anger at God, only to ask for redemption and answers a few moments later, our Lord is a loving, compassionate God who is the same today, yesterday, and tomorrow.

Whenever I felt my feelings were too big for God, I repeated 1 John 3:20. 

Holidays are a season of joy, abundance, and festivity, but it can feel anything but joyful in a season of waiting.

As we enter Advent, where the wait is over, and the Messiah is born, I challenge us to be “both-and.” We can celebrate the truth of the scriptures and grieve our season of waiting. We have the opportunity to flip the script, and instead of sitting in the “why is God allowing this season of waiting“, change our hearts to an open posture of waiting well with God.

I ask you to challenge yourself with the same questions I asked in our season of waiting. 

ONE:What is God teaching you in your season of waiting well with Him? 

• My response to this question was to slow down, take inventory of my heart, and accept the promise that I was not alone. Our God is ever with us, sharing in our experience of waiting. I am not alone in this season; God is with me. 

TWO: How is God asking you to trust Him in your season of waiting well with Him? 

• This was harder, but I died to my will each morning with the prayer, “Lord, let your will be done; you know the desires of my heart, and I trust your plan for me.” This prayer became one I still repeat today. Transferring control from me to God. This act of freedom led me to know and honestly believe that I am enough, even in my season of waiting. I am enough; God is with and for me. 

THREE: How can you draw near to God during your season of waiting well with Him? 

• God is after our hearts. This season of waiting invites us to lean into God’s goodness and experience His raw and intimate love for us. When I placed my season of waiting at His feet and fixed my eyes on Him, I knew and felt God’s deep love for us. 

God promises that your story will end redeemed because of His son Jesus’s sacrifices on the cross. God loves you deeply and closely, even during your season of waiting. Through Advent, we can feel the pulls of anxiety and uncertainty as we wait. If you are in the middle of the not-yet, trudging onwards in the unknown, I hope you find peace with God, knowing you are never alone, loved, and enough. 

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for your love, the gift of your son, and the fruitfulness of your promises. Lord, waiting is hard, but it is especially grueling during Advent. Lord, I ask you to help us surrender our waiting season to you through Advent and every day we walk together.  Lord, simply put, let your will be done. We ask that your presence be abundant and your truths of redemption ring clear to our ears and hearts as we navigate waiting well with you through Advent. In your name, Amen. 

7 Bible Verses for Waiting with God During Advent

• Psalm 46:10 (ESV) ““Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will exalt the earth!”
• Isaiah 40:31 (ESV) “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. ”
• Jude 1:21 (ESV) “Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.”
• Micah 7:6 (ESV) “But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”
• Psalm 33:20 (ESV) “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.”
• Lamentations 3:22 (ESV) “They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
• Romans 9:16 (ESV) “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”