A devotion I wrote for advent in December 2000

Waiting
Psalm 130:5-6

My father was a court reporter. He practiced "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" long before it was popular, so I spent some of my summer afternoons with him in a courtroom. I had to sit quietly at the back of the courtroom waiting for the judge to declare a recess. Then I would wait until the judge, jury, lawyers, bailiff, clerks and witnesses were gone before Dad and I could go to lunch. When it was a jury trial, I learned some really good waiting activities while the jury deliberated. I learned cribbage and euchre to help pass the time. (I'm still a pretty good cribbage player.) The saying "Hurry up and wait" is not exclusive to the military, but applies to the courts also.

Advent is a time when we remember the years the people of Israel waited for the Messiah. The Old Testament is filled with stories of God's people waiting for, preparing for and looking for the Savior. Read the words of the prophets -- Isaiah 40, Amos 9, Micah 5:3-4. Today we still wait -- not just for Christmas Day -- but for the coming of the Spirit into the hearts of all people so that there truly could be peace on earth. We wait for the Messiah.

What do you do while waiting? Do you read books or play games like I did while waiting with my dad? Are you wandering in a desert like the Israelites did? Are you preparing for a Messiah? What are you waiting for?

Dear Lord, As we approach Christmas Day, teach us to wait for you. Teach us to use our time wisely while we wait. Amen.