Advent Devotional - November 27

Each morning, I will post a devotional thought for the day with corresponding scripture text and prayer. My hope is that these daily devotionals will aid your walk through Advent and encourage a few quiet moments each day to ponder the coming Christ. May God guide our steps through these important days.

Jim Abernathy

November 27

Lamentations 3:24-26

“It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Lamentations 3:26

Peter Marshall, Chaplain of the United States Senate more than half a century ago, wrote, “Teach us, O Lord, the disciplines of patience, for to wait is often harder than to work.” There is a real temptation to believe that our value exists solely in the significance of our actions…to be busy is to be fulfilled. If that were true, many of us would be hilariously happy and content! Sadly, such busyness is a constant distraction from that which truly brings joy and peace.

Today, we begin the season of Advent…a journey to the manger of Bethlehem, but also reminder to us of the hope we await in the returning Christ. We often speak of the rush of this season with its many opportunities, observances, and demands. The writer of Lamentations, however, seems to offer us a sound alternative to the chaos of our schedules and the pressure of the demands placed upon us. “The Lord is my portion,” he writes, “therefore, I will wait on him.” At the heart of this statement is a genuine sense of trust. The writer is willing to wait because he trusts that God will act on his behalf.

Advent reminds us that God has acted on all our behalves, through the birth of Jesus. It also serves to remind us of the hope we have for the return of Christ. The busyness we experience from now through the end of December is not uncommon. The opportunity before us, however, to wait upon the Lord is indeed an uncommon hope. “The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.”

Wait…hope…seek…

Prayer: Gracious God, may we wait upon you, hope in your wondrous promises, and seek you throughout our Advent journey. Amen.

Jim Abernathy