What does Advent mean? According to Mr. Google, Advent means "arrival" and signifies the start of an event or the arrival of a person. This is usually celebrated on the first week of December until CChristmas comes.
Our story is all about how God fulfilled His promise to Abraham, and how He also fulfills His promises to all of us. There was a lot of waiting involved. But because of Abraham’s faithfulness to God, you cannot count his numerous descendants.
Genesis 21:1-7 says, “The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. And Abraham named their son Isaac. Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. And Sarah declared, “God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me. Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!””
This is not new “news” to Abraham. In Genesis 12, God already told Abraham that He will give him countlss descendants. In Genesis 13, God also told Him that His descendants will be like the dust of the earth in number. You cannot count that! In Genesis 15, God also told Abraham that He will have a son of His own. In Genesis 17, God said Abraham will have countless descendants. Abraham even asked if it will be through Ishmael, his son with Hagar. God said no! Sarah will give birth to a son! Abraham should have expected that he will have a son. How will he have countless descendants otherwise?
Do you remember when Abraham and Sarah laughed at this promise? In Genesis 17, when God told Abraham that he will have a son, he kneeled on the gorund but he laughed. He could not believe it because he was almost 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old. How will that happen? In Genesis 18, Sarah heard it when God told Abraham that she will bear a child. She laughed and said it is impossible. Then God asked Abraham why she laughed. Is anything too hard for Him, God said. And Sarah denied lauhing. It’s good God did not punish her for lying to Him.
In the entire Bible, God made more than 8,000 promises. 7,000 of those promises were ade to man. What is God trying to tell you about the promises that He made? Who among you are holding on to God’s promises? Do you feel like it is taking Him a long time to answer? Are you asking Him why He is not answering your prayers? Sometimes, it can be frustrating to wait. Maybe that is the reason why some people put off reading their Bible for later. Because they think God will also answer them “later”.
We all know the truth. When God promises something, He will answer it. Even if it takes your lifetime. What lesson can we learn from the story of Abraham?
God’s promises are true. - That is a given. If not, what is the use of praying? What else are we holding onto in thiss world? 1 Corinthians 1:9 says, “God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” God is not man. I therefore conclude that He is nnot able to break His promises. He will do as He says in His time. Psalms 145:13b also says, “The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does.” God knows when, where, how and why He will answer His promises to you. He will answer at the right time. I am sure we are all holding on to something God has promised to us. When we pray, we have to believe that God has already answered our prayers. Or else, it defeats the purpose of asking. Why ask when you know it will not be given to you anyway?
Patience is a virtue - What is a virtue? A virtue is a trait of excellence that is considered morally good. We must have it. What are the virtues that we must have? Justice. Wisdom. Courage. Patience. Can you imagine if we all did not have patience? There would be chaos in our houses, our schools, our workplaces, and especially in church. Can you imagine if Abraham and Sarah did not excercise patience? It took years before God finally granted them a child.
They say, patience is not the ability to wait, but the strength to keep a good attitude while waiting. You can wait with a scowl on your face or you can wait with a smile.
Hebrews 6:13-15 says, “For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.” You attitude does not have anything to do with the way God will answer you prayers and fulfill His promises. He will answer depending on whether what you want is His will for you, or not. If God says no, will you still be able to smile and move on with your life? Or will you stop praying altogether. So it helps to maintain a good attitude while waiting.
Nothing is impossible with God - Three of the four gospel writers say that nothing is impossible with God.
“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26
“With men it is impossible, but not with God.” Mark 10:27
“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
Luke 18:27
Many times, we feel like our prayers are impossible to be answered. We feel like God will not answer them anyway. But if we hold on to Him, we know that He can do anything and everything. It is not easy to wait and hold on to a promise but with God’s help, we can. God knows what He promised us and He is faithful to fulfill it.
What are we supposed to do while we are waiting for God to fulfill His promises to us?
While I’m waiting, I will,…
Serve. Serving does not only mean serve in church. You can do that anywhere you are as long as you dedicate all you do to God. It is about the intention and the love behindi your actions. Anything you do with love is an act of service. The only reason why we can serve is ecause Jesus’ love overflows from our hearts.
Worship. Worship is not only praying and singing and reading your Bible. Worship is everything that you do. Even sleeping. Eating is worship because our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Anything that we put inside our body is worship when we eat the right kinds of food. Anything and everything we do for the Lord is an act of worship.
Run the race. Do not just run for the sake of running. Run because you want to finish well. You want to get the prize which is eternal life with Jesus in heaven. While waiting, run the race still. Jesus is coming very soon.
Craig Groeschel said, “Remember that while you're waiting, God is still working. Just because He may feel silent doesn't mean He is absent. If God hasn't done what you want Him to do, remember that if it's not God's time, you can't force it. And when it is God's time, you can't stop it. Our hope is not just in the outcome that we want, but in the God we can know and trust.“
Whil addressing the other cardinals in the movie, Conclave, Cardinal Lawrence said,
“There is one sin that I have come to fear above all others.
Certainty. If there was only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery.
And therefore, no need for faith.”
If everybody was sure about what will happen to them in the future, what is the use of praying? Sometimes, it is better to be uncertain about things so that we can practice our faith. Especially when it comes to the promises of God. Because faith helps us to stand our ground. It is faith that helps us go through all the unknowns in our life. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” When we do not see the end of where we are headed, it is faith that helps us reach the end. It is good that we do not know because then, we have to trust in God. God is so good to us. Wherever we look, His promises abound. All we have to do is have faith even as small as a mustard seed. He will do the rest.
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