God Never Wastes Your Waiting

“Behold, the Lord, the God of armies, will lop off the branches with terrifying power; Those also who are tall in stature will be cut down, And those who are lofty will be brought low. He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe, And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.” Isaiah 10:33-34, NASB

It’s the second day of Advent, and maybe you’re wondering if I missed the memo, or opened up my Bible to the wrong chapter. I admit: these don’t sound like Advent verses.

A wrathful, axe-wielding God is not the God I often reflect on in the days leading up to His greatest and most sacrificial gift.

No, I’m far quicker to open my Bible to the joyous prophecies, the most obvious reminders of God’s love and grace and faithfulness. I intended to start here instead:

“Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah 11:1-2, NASB)

However, I couldn’t fully quiet the nagging voice of my inner Bible scholar, reciting to me the first three rules of excellent Biblical study: Context, context, and context. Chapter 11 of Isaiah begins with the word then – which begs us to ask the question, “After what?”

And our search for the answer leads us backward, to the end of Isaiah chapter 10, with those verses that don’t really sound like Advent verses.

A Gracious Wrath

Read the verses at the beginning of this devotional again. Can you hear it? The violence, the thunderous crash of God’s might as He rebukes the pride of His people who have rejected Him and the worldly nations who have hated Him.

These are military terms: “God of hosts” could be translated “Yahweh of war.” It is the sound of warfare and the vision of butchered forests – not melodies of joy or twinkling Christmas trees – that set the stage to reveal God’s glory.

Then.

This tiny word alone embodies the resounding stillness that seems to fall in the wake of God’s rebuke. The tall have been cut down. The lofty have been abased. The world has been humbled into silence.

Israel waits in silence, in the space of “then,” for God only. From Him alone comes salvation.

“For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring, and My blessing on your descendants.” (Isaiah 44:3, NASB).

A Gracious Wait

If new life is to spring forth from this spiritually desolate land, preparations must be made. Hearts must be humbled, stripped of their idols and counterfeit sustenance, and allowed to develop a thirst for God’s goodness again – even if it takes centuries. Even if it costs lives.

The warring and the waiting seem harsh until we realize that it is eternal life, not immediate, that God is fighting for.

And at last, the silence is broken by sounds of life as God brings forth from a tender green shoot, a tiny sprig of hope reaching out of the dark earth toward heaven.

This fragile seedling, both Son of God and Son of Man, matures into a fruitful branch upon which a brilliant white dove alights (Luke 3:21-22). Behind the scenes, in the silent “then,” God was at work.

The space of “then” had lasted over four centuries.

The Advent of the Christ, for them, was in many ways a time of pain.

But our God works in the darkness.

He works in the wait.

He works even in the pain.

And our Christ, our Rescuer, our death-defying shoot of life, overcomes it all.

A Gracious God

Our own seasons of Advent can be painful, too. We often come to December burdened by the brokenness, darkness, and hopelessness that reside within ourselves, our loved ones, and our world.

But just as the earth spends all of winter in silent preparation for spring’s glorious life, so God does not waste the darkness. It’s into darkness that He shines His light, into parched ground that He pours His Spirit, and into dead souls that He imparts His life.

He is unfailingly gracious, even in times of wrath and times of wait.

So whether we find ourselves today in the storm of destruction, in the silent waiting of “then,” or in the life-giving dawn of God’s victory, the truth we celebrate in this season remains the same: The One whose very life defies our world of death has come, and He is our salvation. He is our gracious God’s greatest gift.

Questions for Your Heart:

1. Do you believe that God is at work in your waiting? Do you believe He doesn’t waste your pain?
2. Jesus came perhaps when Israel least expected it. How can you prayerfully look for Jesus in your current hardship?
3. God’s discipline is blessing, because it clears our hearts of idols and makes room for worship. What idols do you need to lay before Him so you can rejoice in Christ?

Author: Hallie Leining from www.halliewrites.com