Day of Praise

We, 12/18/13, "Day of Praise"

Romans 8:19 - "For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God."

What are you waiting for?

I was at a stop light yesterday when I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw that the driver in the car behind me was crying uncontrollably. I wondered what had happened. I wondered if I should do something. I wondered where the person was going.

God tells us, in today's verse from Romans and throughout the Bible, that many problems that really upset us could be avoided if we'd wait for the right things. In our weakness, we tend to wait for the next present, the next Christmas, the next weekend, the next vacation, the next pay check, the next meal, the next ball game, or whatever the next thing is that we think is going to comfort us and give us rest. Such waiting sets us up for disappointment and often uncontrollable tears like the person behind me at the stop light.

On the other hand, as in today's verse, when we eagerly wait for Christ and for the sons of God (who are men and women who show us Christ), there is a radically greater strength in our lives both because the object of our hope is The Strong One and also because the things that previously disappointed us or came and went too fast are now laid at the feet of Jesus for him to worry about, deal with, and bless.

Even as I'm about to end this devotion, I can picture many puzzled looks from readers because we all like cute, simple, and short stories. But I'm here to tell you that God's word says that so many tears could be avoided if we'd just stop and ask God to help us truly see what our hearts are set on and waiting for and then ask God to help us to truly long for Christ.

Christmas is rapidly approaching. What are you waiting for?

Think about it. God through Christ will help us all to do so.

Praise God!


Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson