Advent Day 9
Sometimes when we are low, the words of a good friend come at just the right time. Thank you to Audrey Thompson, a seminary friend for being that person for me today.-RSL
Psalm 40:1-17
40 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 I uwaited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and vheard my cry.
2 He drew me up from wthe pit of destruction,
out of xthe miry bog,
and yset my feet upon a rock,
zmaking my steps secure.
3 He put aa new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will bsee and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.
4 Blessed is the man who cmakes
the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who dgo astray after a lie!
5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are gmore than can be told.
6 hIn sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written jof me:
8 kI delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is lwithin my heart.”
9 I have told the glad news of deliverance2
in mthe great congregation;
behold, I have not nrestrained my lips,
oas you know, O Lord.
10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
11 As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
12 For evils have qencompassed me
beyond number;
my riniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot ssee;
they are tmore than the hairs of my head;
my heart ufails me.
O Lord, xmake haste to help me!
14 yLet those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be zturned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
15 Let those be appalled because of their shame
who asay to me, “Aha, Aha!”
16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
bsay continually, “Great is the Lord!”
17 As for me, I am cpoor and needy,
but dthe Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!
When I first read this scripture, I immediately began laughing and knew it was a cruel joke on God’s part to teach me to be more patient. I am not a patient person; it is not in my nature. I am especially intolerant of inefficiency and incompetence. I do not wait well. It is uncanny how often I find myself behind the only customer in the grocery store who doesn’t own a debit card and who is still penning a check and searching for a driver’s license as I drum my fingers on the checkout counter and roll my eyes obnoxiously.
I have had a challenging year and have found that while my prayer life has never been stronger and my communication with God has never been more intense, his response time has often been slow and frustrating, at best. Waiting for the Lord, even with a hopeful heart, can be so complicated!
What I have come to learn, though, is that the longer I wait, the more I trust God and his insanely crazy timetable. Dr. Slatton used to talk about “kingdom moments.” You know, when for a short time, everything seems as it should be ALL the time. And yes—even in my grief and disappointment—I have sensed kingdom moments, and I have found genuine peace.
Advent is about waiting. Sometimes we must wait and wait and wait. And sometimes waiting means enduring enormous amounts of pain and desperation for long periods of time. I have a sign in my new house that reads, “Life Gets Better.” I believe it. But I now trust it gets better not because of my own efforts or labors, but because of the plan God has for my life as I wait impatiently.
A few Christmases ago I gave a good friend in this congregation a refrigerator magnet with these words. “In the end, everything will be OK. If it’s not OK, it’s not the end.” Thanks be to God. Amen.
-Audrey Thomson
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