Waiting in Hopeful Anticipation

Hope. Peace. Joy. Love. . . Preparation. Anticipation. Waiting. . .
All words describing Advent season, one of my favorite times of year. This Advent, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about what it means to “wait in hopeful anticipation.”

During my post-Camino time at home, I have been feeling a little lost about what I should do next with my life. It feels counter-cultural to do so much sitting and resting and relaxing, but, at the same time, I really enjoy it. It is a wonderful and rare blessing to be given such a “time out” from the busyness of every day life.

This past weekend I took another pilgrimage of sorts, this one was by train, back to my old hometown and friends and church family. Over the course of the weekend, through wonderful conversations, I began to see that it was okay to be right where I am: waiting in hopeful anticipation.

I don’t know what I want to do next, and that is okay because I haven’t felt God give me that direction yet. Instead, what God has given me is this time of rest, this time of peace. Waiting in and of itself is an active thing, and waiting with hope, or in hopeful anticipation, of my future and the unknown is what Advent is all about.

I recently read the following on the daily devotional website “D365.org”:

As people of faith, we know that waiting is central to our journey with God. Throughout history, the faithful have had to patiently wait for the One whose sense of time is not the same as ours. Amidst our waiting, whether patiently or impatiently, we hear the reassuring words of hope from the prophet Isaiah that
God works for those who wait.
–Brian Prior, November 30, 2008, http://www.followingthestar.org/

To those of you reading this who find themselves in a similar place of unknowing and waiting, I offer you the encouragement and peace that comes with this Season of Advent:

May you dare to HOPE:

“Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”  –Lamentations 3:21-26

May you feel the PEACE that transcends all understanding:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  –Philippians 4:6-7

May your heart be filled with JOY:

“The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.”  –Psalm 28:7

And may you always know the LOVE of God that is yours through Jesus:

“No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  –Romans 8:39

When we embrace that “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,” we are able to wait
in patient hopefulness.
–Brian Prior, December 6, 2008, http://www.followingthestar.org/

Tags: Advent, Post Camino, unknowing, waiting, waiting in hopeful anticipation