Four Candle Wait

The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. Psalm 29:11

Well, we’ve flipped to the final page of the calendar and entered the season of Advent…the beautiful Catholic season of peace, patience, hope, joy, and waiting! We are pretty good at the joy and hope, but the peace, patience, and waiting, maybe not so much!

If you ask me, it’s pretty ironic that the busiest month of the year is flanked with the message of patience and waiting, but come to think of it, of course the God that loves us completely would use those words in December to protect us from the events, parties, programs, shopping, and festivities our culture dictates. In the month we are supposed to prepare for the greatest miracle of all time, we drive ourselves silly with shopping, decorating, celebrating, and chocolate!

STOP right where you are and re-think December with me if you would!

Advent is a season of peace but what do you think of when you hear the word peace? Do you think of all the places including our own hearts that need it or do you see it at work in your life? Ladies and gentlemen…peace is something God promised but we have to want it, seek it, and work for it. Peace is the gift of this season and you can’t get it on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or by waiting in line for an hour with a Kohl’s 30% off coupon.

Peace is the result of prayer and stillness; peace is the gift of God’s presence in your day. It is that magnificent gift that helps you realize that if you give God your entire day and speak with him often throughout it, as if consulting your personal adviser, he will provide those moments of great exhale as things just “magically” fall into place.

He can handle the details, the shopping, the cleaning, the schedules. He’s bigger than your to-do list, he’s a better entertainer than Martha Stewart, and he is rich beyond measure.

You have four weeks to prepare for the gift of his Son Jesus. Do you want Jesus to be the first guest who gets the prime spot and all the best preparation or do you want to squeeze him in as the last guest through the door in a standing room only venue?

I know what you’re thinking: Sheri, I just don’t have time to be still and prepare. Advent would be so much better if it was in March when I wasn’t so busy.

Yup, I hear you, but think with me a minute. What adds to your goal of eternal life: the perfect gift and cookie plate for someone at the office or a heart that’s ready to welcome the gift of a miracle sent to this earth to live and die just for you? He loves you so much that even if you were the only one on earth, he would die just for you! That’s a gift worth getting ready for, don’t ya think?

Time is precious but consider this powerful thought I ran across in one of my Advent Prayer Books: each 24 hour day has 1,440 minutes. If you spent just 6 minutes in prayer each day over the next 43 days (Advent and Christmas seasons) you would invest 1,440 minutes in your relationship with the Father and the Son he sent to this world as an infant to save us.

It seems like a pretty small investment on our part that will reap an unbelievable reward. There has never been a time when we have needed peace more. Peace is the fruit of patience and waiting my friends! Let’s use this beautiful season to patiently wait for a Newborn King that has the power to change EVERYTHING!

A Seed To Plant: Find 6 or more minutes each day with the sole purpose of preparing for the gift that’s coming straight to your heart on December 25^th! Think of it as advanced planning and preparation for the most amazing event you will ever attend!