Reflections from our church family this Advent.
Follow the whole series here.
Practice
Waiting in prayer is a disciplined refusal to act before God acts.
To wait on the Lord doesn’t mean inactivity. It doesn’t mean a refusal to take initiative, rather, it’s a refusal to move without connecting our lives to God in prayer and reflection, first and often.
Eugene Peterson has said, “Waiting in prayer is a disciplined refusal to act before God acts.”
Sometimes waiting on the Lord means “staying put” in a particular situation until you get further instructions. At other times, it requires us to move forward — but in a way that is grounded in prayer.
Ultimately, to wait on the Lord is a way of life that comes against our tendencies to be impulsive, to be anxiously reactive, and wise in our own eyes.
If decisions are being made that are anxiously reactive and impulsive, chances are we need some practice in waiting on the Lord.
Advent reminds us that God has come, is coming, and will come again. It’s a great opportunity to train our souls in waiting.
Prayer
Father, thank you that you are always working. As I wait upon you, I won’t act without your leading. When I get anxious, I will practice waiting on you so that I would be a non-anxious presence around others I meet today.
Amen