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Psalm 46:10 Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
I don’t know about you, but for most of my life, waiting has not been my favorite! I would say I ‘hate’ to wait, but hate is such a strong word, and we have taught our kids and now our grandkids, when they don’t like something to say, “It’s not my favorite.” So yes, waiting has not on been on my list of enjoyable activities. Yet, over the years, I have discovered there is something amazing in the wait!
Waiting provides an opportunity to take a pause or cease striving and experience something amazing!
The other day I was waiting in traffic as I was on my way to a lunch appointment. Something had happened on the freeway and cars were backed up for a few miles. I would usually start getting anxious, thinking about how I would be late, and this would extend the lunch and I had my day all planned out, but I took the moment to be still and think. I could not be super productive and answer emails, I could make a few calls, but I thought about the Bible verse above, Psalm 46:10 and decided to take a moment and think about God and this season of Christmas. That led me to Isaiah 9:6 where Isaiah is giving a prophecy about Jesus, the baby we celebrate at Christmas.
Isaiah 9:6 For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Jesus can be that Wonderful Counselor for us as we trust in Him. Jesus is able to hear our heart and guide us through our emotional storms.
Matthew 11:28 Come to me (Jesus), all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Jesus is our Mighty God.
Colossians 1:15-17 He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Jesus can hold us together and however out of control or crazy life gets, He is stronger, bigger, mightier than anything, and capable to handle the most difficult and ominous problems of life.
Jesus can be to us our Everlasting Father as we lean on Him. For He empowers us, loves us, cares for us and will not abandon us.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
And yes, Jesus is available to be our Prince of Peace as we come to Him in faith. Jesus can settle our stresses and our anxiety and bring in peace.
John 14:27 Peace I (Jesus) leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His reach is encompassing. His rule never ends. His righteousness is sure. That’s Jesus…my LORD and Savior, The Christ…the One I follow and have given allegiance to! What about you? I found all that in a time of waiting. What could you find? There is something amazing in the wait.
There are great truths we learn at church to think about in our times of waiting. If you do not already have a church you attend, we would like to invite you to view or visit Neighborhood Church. We are right in the middle of our Christmas season with a teaching series called, “Wait, It’s Christmas.” We would love for you to connect with us! Our website has all the information you need for times and locations of all our Sunday gatherings. You can also find us online at neighborhoodchurch.com. As well, if you would like to view any of our past worship gatherings or videos, visit our YouTube channel, or just search Neighborhood Church Cypress or Neighborhood Church Los Alamitos on their YouTube site.
Finding the amazing in waiting along with you,
Mike McKay, Lead Pastor, Neighborhood Church
