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Thursday, December 11, 2008

Advent Reflections

December 11th

“In its time it will happen quickly…” Isaiah 60:22b

The bible is full of stories about people waiting for God’s plan to unfold. No great man or woman of God ever saw instant gratification. God’s promises were given but often not seen for years or generations.
Jesus arriving as a baby in Bethlehem was foretold thousands of years before it happened. The Israelites had prayed for the messiah to come to deliver them, but God appeared to be in no hurry. He never is. That can be frustrating to us, as we watch our lives pass by and still wait for God to move.
In this scripture in Isaiah, God reminds us that although His plans appear to move ahead slowly, He has not forgotten us. From the time I would leave Pennsylvania as a child until I would return to live in 1998, there were 25 years. All those years God had planted within me a promise that He would bring me back and bring restoration to my life. He knew far better that had the move come any earlier, I would not have been ready, and the giants in this land would have devoured me. His timing is perfect.
If God has pronounced a delay in your life, trust Him. You are not yet ready to move on. However, be prepared that when His timing comes, it happens quickly. Usually at the point where you have given up the door swings open to move ahead.
My hope in these seasons of waiting is to allow the Holy Spirit to change me. God grant us His grace to become more like Christ each day.

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