“Even youths will faint and be weary and the young will fall exhausted; but those 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 40.30-31, NRSV
I greet you in the strength of Christ’s name,
I do so because I am still feeling a bit under the weather and my body is weak from the fight. This lingering sickness has created more hump days than usual for me. This past week has been filled with one hump after another. Just as soon as I think that I am over one thing, here comes another hurdle. Have you ever had this happen to you? If so, it’s normal and if it hasn’t happened yet, wait for it.
Advent is a season of waiting. The Latin word adventus means “coming.” Relax. There will not be a quiz, vocabulary test or spelling bee at the end. I just thought that you might want to know.
What are we waiting for? Jesus, the Christ. Jesus, the Anointed One. Jesus, the Messiah. I know, I know. He has already come to us, wrapped in swaddling rags, in a manger, in a town called Bethlehem. Remember, the wise men, the gifts, the death threat of King Herod?
Yes, but as we prepare to celebrate his birth, we retell the story. This reminds us of those who waited for his arrival, the fulfillment of Scripture, the keeping of the promise. But, it reminds us also of his second coming. And I don’t have a calendar or a clue, not even an educated guess, as to when we should expect him.
Still, we need that reminder on hump days and hump years of unexpected sickness and unpredictable death, difficult people and circumstances that we believe we will never get over, hard lessons and even harder answers, growing pains and questions that stop us in our tracks.
These humps can get in the way and we can’t get around them for a time. We can’t move; we can only wait.
So much is happening in us and around us that it might be hard to hear God’s still small voice. But, He is speaking. “Wait for Me,” He says. No matter how fast we move or how hard we try, we cannot get ahead of God. There is no Internet speed that is faster than God.
And it is God who will get us through this, up and over the humps, hills and mountains. We just have to slow down and wait for Him. “Wait for Me,” He says. This not said because God is behind, panting, head down. No, God is ahead of us, hands on yet asking that we take our hands because He is working and “all things work together for good for those who love God, who are the called according to his purpose,” even the hump days (Romans 8.28).
The Raceless Gospel 
Hope you feel better, Starlette! I’m just thankful for sharing people like you who help me get out of those times faster. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lweJBR_pysg Thanks for so much of God’s Perfect Love.
Thank you, Tobias. I’m so glad to be alive and purposeful, to be able to use words to bring light and comfort. I am glad that I was of service to you.