For a child is born to us,

    a son is given to us.

The government will rest on his shoulders.

    And he will be called:

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

His government and its peace

    will never end.

He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David

    for all eternity.

The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies

    will make this happen! Isaiah 9:6-7

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Devotion

Oftentimes, throughout life, we end up in seasons of waiting. We wait on answers, wait for trips and vacations, wait for packages to arrive, and the list goes on. Almost exactly a year ago, I found myself anxiously awaiting something I have dreamed about since I was a kid. I’ve always been a dog person, and for as long as I can remember, I have had this dream of getting a puppy and naming it Oliver. I didn’t ever really care what kind of dog it was, but I knew at some point I also wanted to have a goldendoodle. So this time last year, in a whirlwind of coincidences, I found myself holding a little goldendoodle puppy who would soon be mine … soon. But, I had to wait two more weeks before he would come home with me. I know it is not that long, especially as I look back on this first year full of adventures, but in the moment, it felt like forever. 

Being in a season of waiting is a pretty common experience, but nobody knows waiting quite like God’s people in the Old Testament, who waited in anxious anticipation of the coming Savior for over 400 years. 

The Advent season, the four weeks leading up to Christmas, is a time of anxious anticipation of what is to come. This energy matches the energy children often have leading up to the arrival of Christmas presents under the tree, and for me, waiting for the arrival of Oliver. The Advent season is a season of reflection but also anticipation. We use this season to refocus our hearts on Jesus the King as we walk into a season of joy and celebration. 

Although Christmas reminds us of the coming of Jesus of Nazareth and the time that he walked the earth, it is also a time to remember that we still anxiously await the second coming of Jesus and the fulfillment of his kingdom. We are still in a season of waiting. God’s people waited with hope for the Savior who would “soon” arrive. Many prophecies and promises had been made about his eventual arrival, and so they waited with hope. We also wait with hope. We can see a fuller picture of God’s redemptive plan. We see the good news of the gospel play out through Jesus’ life, and we know that we wait for his return with the hope of what is to come. 

As we wait, it can be easy to misplace our hope. We hope in others, in things, in the perfect career, and so on.As we prepare for this Advent season, let’s pause and redirect our hearts and our hopes to the one who will never fail us, to reflect on the coming arrival of our Savior. When we focus our hearts on Christ, we can use his faithfulness all around us as reminders that we can trust him in any circumstance, even long periods of waiting. We wait with anticipation because we know Jesus not only came and fulfilled the many prophecies spoken of him, but he will come again “soon”.

As we walk into this Christmas season and take time to reflect on the coming arrival of our Savior, we can be confident in our God and in his plan. Like Paul, I pray God would bring you peace and joy in all the different seasons as you remember his faithfulness and trust in him. 

PRAYER

Dear Lord, 

Thank you for sending your son as the Savior of the world. Thank you that I can wait confidently in you for his return. Lord, help me in this season to focus my heart on you. Please fill me with joy and peace, and the confidence to trust i you during this time of waiting. Thank you for the gift of this season of Advent. Amen.

Grace Hill
Middle School Student Pastor, OKC Location

Grace Hill is a middle school student pastor at Crossings OKC. She enjoys getting to walk with students as they begin to make their faith their own.

Resources

• Listen to You’ve Already Won by Shane & Shane
• Read The Bible Project’s Advent Guide
• Watch Reason for Hope by Pastor Marq Youngblood

Read More Devotions

Explore other devotions like this one any time at crossings.church/devotions.