The whole point of observing Advent is to prepare your heart. I know that may seem obvious, but it’s important to have built-in rhythms and disciplines that help to recalibrate the soul. One of the central themes we visit during this season is, this idea of waiting in faith.
Waiting in faith is not easy. I mean, who likes to wait, right? Standing is faith is always much easier when God is speaking into the situation, but what about when he is silent? We’ve all been there; that quiet place of waiting, with seemingly no movement happening anywhere. It can feel like punishment, which creates a disconnect usually resulting in isolation.
Here’s the thing, waiting in faith is part of the journey to the heart of God. If you haven’t experienced this process yet, you need to understand that it will come, but don’t be afraid. Waiting in faith is actually neither punishment or disconnection from God. This is the place where we practice what God has spoken and he is present every step of the way.
So, how about it? Are you feeling brave today? Let’s dig in and look at what it means to embrace this waiting in faith.
Zechariah
All week-long, I’ve been camped out in Luke, chapter One, specifically because of Zechariah. I’ve read this story countless times so it feels so familiar, but as I read it through again last Sunday, I got stuck on this man, the Priest, the father of John the Baptist.
I’m sure you know the story too, but for the sake of context let’s do a quick review. This story picks up some 400 years after the last prophet spoke the word of God (Malachi). The people of God had been waiting in faith for a long time. In fact, the waiting and the silence had created a sense of hopeless desperation in their hearts.
Zechariah was a priest and it was during his service in the temple, as he ministered to God, that the angel of the LORD appeared. Just take a minute and imagine what that must have been like. The supernatural presence of an angelic messenger is not normal and the scriptures tell us that, “Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.” (Luke 1:12)
Can you blame him? He was ministering in the sanctuary, so he expected to be alone. The sudden appearance of anyone would have caught him off guard, but an angel in the sanctuary triggered all sorts of wonder and concern—and not in a good way.
The scriptures go on say, that the angel told Zechariah that his prayers had been answered. He and his wife were going to have a son, and his name would be John. The angel goes on to say that John would be a prophet of the LORD, announcing the coming of the Messiah—just as the prophets foretold. (Luke 1:11-17)
When God Speaks
Zechariah’s reaction was filled with doubt. Now, before you judge, consider your own heart. Put yourself in this story and walk it out.
How do you respond when God speaks?
“Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” (Luke 1:18)
It’s a natural question, probably one anyone of us would have asked, but it reveals his heart. Zechariah was a priest, but he didn’t believe God was who he said he was. I think he wanted to believe, but his eyes were stuck on the natural ways of life rather than the supernatural ways of God.
Here’s the thing, Zechariah’s disbelief did not disqualify him from this holy assignment.
Wait, what?
I know, right? Go ahead and take a minute to get your head wrapped around that aspect of God’s generosity and patience. He meets us where we are and leads us into the deeper places of his glory—if we will trust him.
Zechariah wasn’t faithless, he was a priest after-all, it’s just that his faith muscle was weak and buried under years of disappointment and grief. Can you relate to his question, “How can I be sure…?”
God is gracious and generous as he invites us into his astounding activity. He doesn’t need us to accomplish anything, but he delights to include us—broken though we may be. God speaks and then he provides a season of waiting in faith, so that we can grow that faith muscle.
Waiting in faith
Waiting in faith can feel hard, especially when God feels silent. In fact, sometimes those long seasons of waiting in the silence are downright painful. Here’s the thing, the silence is not God’s rejection, it’s how he directs us.
You see, faith is not a blanket statement that covers the essence of a religious world view, it is the quality by which we live in relationship with God. Waiting in faith is about standing in unity with the Spirit of God regarding who he is and what he says he will do. And it takes practice.
Zechariah’s impotent faith didn’t disqualify him from the assignment, it actually was the point of the assignment. I mean, yes, the plan was to send a prophet, who would announce the coming of the Messiah, but what was the ultimate point of that? Jesus came to redeem and restore humanity.
God’s point is always intimacy and oneness. So, in response to Zechariah’s tentative response, God set to work. Zechariah watched, in mute silence, as his wife’s belly grew for the remainder of her pregnancy. The scriptures say that he wasn’t able to utter a word, until he declared the name of his son, and then his voice returned. That declaration demonstrated unity of spirit, which had been cultivated during that season of waiting in faith.
Waiting in faith prepares us for the miracle. We all want the miracle, but when our hearts aren’t unified with the Spirit of God, we miss the point. Faith grows as we lean into it. Expectant hope anchors us to belief, which is what agreement with what the Spirit of God, looks like.
Preparing your heart
We are designed to live in relationship with God and all our sufficiency comes through him. Faith ties the finite to the infinite, but it doesn’t happen all by itself. God plants this quality of faith within each us, and then, as we practice he perfects it. Here are some practical disciplines that help position the heart for oneness.
Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. (Hebrews 12:2)
You must learn to look above the circumstances—no matter how dark and impossible they are. God will lead you through, but understand his goal is always about intimacy. In this world we will do hard, there’s no getting around it, but God doesn’t abandon us, he leads us through.
Discipline: Breath Prayer, Centering Prayer, and Fasting
Practice hope (Hebrews 6:19)
Expectant hope is choice, not a feeling. Hope looks ahead to promise and anchors itself in faith. This is not once and done; it’s a continuous practice from seemingly small things to the outrageously big issues that we encounter.
Discipline: Praying Scripture, Scripture memory, Meditation, Mentoring, Small Group (encouragement from a community can go a LONG way when hope feels hard to reach for).
Embrace the waiting (Psalm 46:10)
Don’t be afraid of the season of waiting in faith. This is not punishment, it’s a gift. There are some things that just take a long time, like the development of a concert pianist. The aptitude for music is planted deep within a musician, but development and practice is required to produce a virtuoso. Lean into it and meditate on what the LORD has spoken.
Discipline: Rest, Contemplation, Journaling, Worship, Practicing the Presence.
Active waiting
“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6
There are people who scoff at faith, calling it weak, a crutch, or a fantasy, but they are blind to ways of God. Waiting in faith is actually highly active—there is nothing passive or lazy about it. A life lived in faith does not bury its head in ground like an ostrich.
Disbelief is birthed out of pride and it reveals a higher value attributed to self-sufficiency. We must guard our hearts against this manner of thinking, because God places extreme value on the faith of his people.
When you make the choice to believe God, you activate your faith muscle. That agreement unifies your will with the will of the Father. Your trust gives the Father permission to work on your behalf. Now, understand that God is always working on your behalf, but unity of the will with the Father is what brings you into rightness.
This is what the process of sanctification is all about. We work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12) not to earn it, but own it. It’s a gift, but the enemy keeps trying to steal it. He does this by undermining the truth so we willingly hand it over. We must re-write the script of lies that come against God.
Waiting in faith is the process by which we stand onthe promises, practice the presence of God, and declare the name of Jesus above all other things.
Looking forward with eyes to see
Waiting in faith is not to be feared, it is something to delight in, because this journey to the heart of the Father is a journey of healing. Healing and rightness happen in the place of oneness and intimacy. Quit looking for the shortcuts—there aren’t any—because God doesn’t want you to miss all the good stuff.
As you continue to move through this holiday season, look forward with eyes to see. Read the whole Christmas story with a fresh perspective, renewed hope, and deliberated attitude of belief. Allow the Spirit of God to draw you closer, using the context of his testimony, because everything about the details of this story affect the details of yours.
Follow the light of the north star as it leads you to humble stable, the birth place of our Savior. As you look into the face of Salvation, what goes through your mind? Do you have questions of doubt that linger? Be brave, dear one, because all it takes is a little faith and the choice to surrender. He will not disappoint, because his goal is always for oneness.