Anticipation

Anticipation. Expectation. These are words we associate with the season of Advent. Four Sundays prior to Christmas, many of us pause, read scripture, light candles, and pray to prepare for our celebration of Christmas. For a moment each week, we ponder the most improbable of events. God became man. Humans could see and even touch the face of God.

I doubt many took notice of the baby’s cry from the stable that night. Traveler, peddlers and soldiers rushed about the streets of Bethlehem oblivious to the young couple and their newborn. And they missed one of the most anticipated moments in the history of mankind.

 

Anticipation of a Redeemer

The history of redemption is all about anticipation. When Adam and Eve sinned, in the moments before God expelled them from the Garden of Eden, God promised Eve that her seed, her descendant, would crush the head of the serpent. He assured her that while her sin had consequences, He would send a Redeemer to bear those consequences.

Often in scripture, it is hard to see how much time will elapse between prophecy and fulfillment. Is it possible that Eve thought her first son would be the one to redeem? She named him Cain which means “I have gotten a man from God”. Her son would bring her sorrow, not joy.  And he would need a redeemer as much as she did. 

God’s Time. Not Ours. 

The long wait had begun. Centuries would pass before Messiah would come. Kingdoms would rise and fall, temples would be built and destroyed as God’s perfect plan was worked out. Peter tells us that our time and God’s time are two different scales. And God’s promises are seldom immediate.

God promised Abram he would be the father of nations before he even left Haran. I’m sure he never imagined that he would be 100 years old, and Sarah 90 before they cradled the promised infant in their arms.

Waiting on Destiny

Waiting is as much a part of God’s plan as His promises are. It is often in the “down time” that God strengthens and prepares those He uses. Joseph knew how to dream as a 17-year-old. But it took the years of slavery and imprisonment to harden him into the man who would save not only Israel but all the Eastern world from famine. And David was a giant killer as a teenager. But years as a fugitive honed his focus and strengthened his character into a king and man after God’s own heart.

Uneasy anticipation

When we turn the pages of our Bibles to the New Testament, the people of Israel are tired of waiting. 400 years have passed since God last spoke and many had given up. The Romans were hard rulers, and they had little use for Israel’s constant skirmishes and rebellions.

Zechariah knew all about waiting and unanswered prayer. As far as they knew, He and his wife, Elizabeth, had done everything right. They followed the law scrupulously. Zechariah was a priest. He knew the Torah and practiced it. He may even have memorized all of Torah. 

Luke tells us both Zechariah and Elizabeth were devout. And childless. And old.  

Endless Disappointment

From the time they were betrothed, they and their parents had prayed that they would be blessed with children. Children were seen as a sign of God’s favor, and most of their neighbors probably assumed hidden sin in their lives prevented fertility. Every year, Zechariah traveled to Jerusalem to serve in the Temple. He fulfilled his duties in spite of his own disappointment. He circumcised babies for other families as he wondered when it would be his baby boy at the center of the ancient ritual.

As years, then decades passed, their arms ached for a baby to remove the reproach of barrenness and to ease the loneliness of their quiet lives. I wonder if at some point they quit praying. As they saw neighbors become parents, then grandparents, and perhaps great-grandparents, did they try to soothe their sadness by loving the kids who played on the streets by their house?

An Angelic Visitor

One year Zechariah traveled once again to Jerusalem to perform his duties as a priest. When the priests drew lots for their assignment, he was assigned to burn incense on the altar outside the Holy of Holies. This was a special assignment, one that a priest might only perform once in a lifetime of service.

As Zechariah went about his duties that day, he was interrupted by Gabriel, God’s angelic spokesman who declared, “Zechariah, God has heard your prayer. And He has sent me to tell you now is the time. Your wife will have a son who will prepare for Messiah’s coming.” A multitude of thoughts had to race through the elderly man’s mind. How long had it been since he prayed for a son? How long had it been since he prayed Messiah would come?

It doesn’t surprise me that Zechariah doubted Gabriel’s declaration. His hopes had been shattered before and once again months passed with no pregnancy.  But Gabriel had inside information. God had heard Zechariah’s prayers and was ready to answer them. Zechariah’s doubt cost him his voice for nine months. But it didn’t cost him the answer to his prayer.

Playing the Waiting Game

I’m not good at waiting. I like immediate gratification. I think the microwave popcorn takes too long. My house is filled with projects that I started but lost interest in when I realized how much time they required. But God will not be rushed. He doesn’t conform to our calendars or agendas.

That’s the whole point of Advent. During this month, we light candles in anticipation of the joy of the incarnation that we celebrate on Christmas. And at the same time, we look forward to the Second Coming, the time when Jesus comes to reign, to restore good to the earth.

Advent is also a reminder of the faithfulness of God. He promised Adam and Eve that a redeemer would come. And He came right on time. Paul said Jesus came “in the fullness of time.”

Anticipation and Disappointment

Maybe you are like Zachariah. You have prayed for something for years and it hasn’t happened. Maybe you took a huge leap of faith, and it doesn’t seem to be working out. You have trusted God to bring about the desires of your heart, and you’re stuck in the same place you were last year or ten years ago. Anticipation has turned to disappointment and unbelief. Maybe you have prayed fervently for an estranged son or daughter, and they seem as far from God and from you as they did when you first started praying.

I can’t promise that God will grant your requests in the exact way you pray them. Often, He has a better way, and we just have to trust Him to accomplish His will in our lives. But God has heard you. And He will answer in His own way and His own time. And that timing is perfect.

The first Advent candle we light represents hope and prophecy. It reminds us that God will always fulfill His word. We are nearing the end of our Advent journey this year. I encourage you to keep praying and believing. Your prayers are like incense to God.

Remember Zechariah and Elizabeth. Zechariah continued to go to Jerusalem every time it was his turn to serve. He didn’t refuse to serve because he believed God abandoned him. He continued to be faithful even when he doubted he would see an answer to his prayer. 

Waiting is difficult, sometimes even painful. But God’s promises are always worth the wait!