For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end
and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; i
twill certainly come
and will not delay. ~Habakkuk 2:3
Have yourself a merry, little Christmas
Let your heart be light
Next year all our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry, little Christmas
Make the Yule-tide gay
Next year all our troubles will be miles away
But what if they aren’t? What if the next year you sang hopefully about last year is this year and your troubles are not out of sight or miles away? What if you believed those words last year to get you through the last holiday season? But this holiday they still are here.
Still… The still small voice we listen for may be ours crying to the Lord once again.
Questions in the Stillness… What if you are still waiting for your child to return home from active service? Others have returned and your child is still deployed. What if the passing of your loved one to heaven still weighs lonely and heavily on you? What if a job you gratefully thanked the Lord for two years ago is still gone and last year you prayed for its restoration? What if your own mobility or your child’s is still compromised through injury or illness? What if the prodigal covenant spouse or prodigal child you prayed for last year is still absent or absent and still resolutely in denial?
So many Still situations. It is interesting to me that later versions of this song reflected alternative lyrics… A less finite “From Now On” replaced “Next Year.”
Because, for some of us, our Next Year is miles away. Still.
There are few answers that do not resound as platitudes. There is no magic prayer, potion, or petition that obliterates the Stillness of prolonged waiting. There is just you and me and the Stillness of our entreaty. I wish it were not so for you. Or me.
In reassuring lyrics David wrote,
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me ~Psalm 13:5-6
David relies on what God has done for him, not what He has not done. Yes, returning to gratitude again. Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity International advises that when you have a great pain in your life, you need a greater purpose. Would an appropriate purpose be to pray for others, like you and me, who courageously wait in their time of Stillness?
If you are still waiting for something or someone in your own hopeful Christmas miracle, you are waiting for your breakthrough with God. Your breakthrough may be today. Or it still may be miles away. Still, Because of Grace, He is here. And others, including me, will pray for His quiet Stillness to comfort you during these days.
From Now On, talk, or continue to talk, with God as your friend; be honest with Him about your hopes and dreams. And, although, in our minds, we are just fine with our own “Right Now” timing needs, it has helped me to affirm my faith and trust in Him to accomplish His purposes in my life through His timing.
Please know someone is praying for you tonight.
Please share your own quote or verse that brings comfort to you…
The poet Robert Frost said poetry could make you “remember what you didn’t know you knew.” I think waiting steadfastly in a challenge also can help us remember, reconnect, and re-center with what we didn’t know we knew too.
If my thoughts, fears, anxieties swirl out of balance, temporarily, I can remember it is only a phase and it will pass.
It is definitely not a time to “rewind videos of condemnation” as Jody Neufeld describes.
Each time we face a “God, what’s the plan here” moment, we can know that we’re also nearing the “but God” moment, where we’ll see our story unfolding for God’s glory and for his good plans for us. (Jeremiah 29; Romans 8:28)
As we wait, Jesus changes us. We no longer see the need to know how we’ll be delivered. We come to know that, no matter how the story ends, it includes the phrase, “but God is our Deliverer.” (2 Samuel 22:2) ~Jon Walker
When the “Why” days arrive, (and they will arrive often unexpectedly), we have a choice: abandon faith or await with faith…hold on to our control or let go and trust.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
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