Well, a few days from now the wait will almost be over, and excited children will be putting out their stockings in hopeful expectation for them to be filled with goodies. For most children, I guess they have had very little to do once school is over, except to wait impatiently for Christmas.
For parents and most grown-ups, it’s a been very different scenario – frenetic being the word that comes to mind! Too much to do and too little time. It’s a very busy wait!
A KING OF DAVID’S LINE
The child whose birth we are celebrating, was born in the city of David, Bethlehem, and of David’s line. He was, as God had promised, a direct descendant of Israel’s great king.
We can learn a lot from David’s story, the lowly shepherd that became God’s chosen leader of His people. As a young boy, God had promised David he would be king, but he had to wait very many years – until he was maybe thirty years old – to see the fulfilment of that promise. In the meantime, he didn’t just sit back and wait. In the time that he was waiting for that extra-ordinary destiny to be fulfilled he continued to obediently and whole-heatedly obey God and serve others. David looked after his fathers sheep. He challenged and killed a giant. He served King Saul as court musician and as an accomplished soldier. He trained and provided for a group of mighty warriors, and served and protected his own growing family. He also wrote a whole heap of beautiful worship songs.
FAITHFUL IN THE LITTLE THINGS
Waiting well isn’t about just sitting back and letting things happen. Perhaps we are waiting for a promise from God to be fulfilled in our lives. Whilst we are waiting we need to be asking God what we can do with our time and energy. It’s about continuing to love, and serve, and being faithful in the small things.
The waiting period became a training period for David; growing and maturing him, proving his character, so that he was ready to take on the kingship he had been promised. While we are waiting, God is very likely doing the same with us; preparing us for the great things that He has destined for us to do for Him.
A BLESSED CHRISTMAS
I hope for you that the waiting for Christmas has been a blessed time this year, and that you are rejoicing already in the wonderment of the miraculous birth of our Saviour. I pray that if you are waiting for your own miracle, your yet-to-be fulfilled promise, whether it be for yourself or someone you love, that your waiting period will see you drawing even closer to the Promise Giver, who gave His very self out of love for you.
Joy Margetts is new to blogging, and new to being published. Her debut novel ‘The Healing‘ was published by Instant Apostle on 19 March 2021. A work of historic fiction, set in medieval Wales against the backdrop of Cistercian abbey life, it is also a story of faith, hope and God’s redemptive power. Joy has also self- published a short novella, ‘The Beloved‘ as both a companion to ‘The Healing‘, and as an easy to read standalone story, which is available to buy on Amazon Kindle.
‘The Pilgrim‘, her second full length novel, will be published by Instant Apostle in July 2022
More information on Joy and her writing, and links to purchase her books can be found here www.joymargetts.com
