How Does God Wait?

Advent is a season of waiting. We remember how God’s people waited for the promised Messiah and we again wait for the second coming of Jesus. In all my years of celebrating Advent and contemplating waiting, I have always considered waiting from a human perspective. How did the Israelites wait? How did Mary wait? How can I (or should I) wait? 

It’s natural for us to consider waiting from our human perspective. It’s what we do. We try to fit everything, including who God is and how He works, into our human understanding and boundaries. But this year, God has been pressing me to consider how He waits. Maybe you’ve thought in this way before and I’m just late to the party… but I wonder, how often do we think about how God waits? 

What if we ponder God’s waiting a little more deeply? What if we try to think beyond our human understanding of time and its constraints? What if we use our imagination?

In the beginning, Genesis 1:2 tells us that God, the Spirit, was “hovering over the face of the waters” as creation unfolded. Hovering. That is not a passive word. We hover around the kitchen when a special meal is being prepared. We hover around our phones as we wait for news of the birth of a child or test results. Children hover around the tree during this season, eager to guess and then open beautifully wrapped packages. And the Spirit hovered. He knew exactly what was going to happen! He was ready, active, and excited for God to create and to be a part of the beauty and joy that was coming. 

On the night that Christ was born, God placed a new star in the sky to call the nations to Himself. He placed troops of angels in the sky to proclaim the good news to the lowest members of society. God knew that this was not the climax of the story. Or the end. There would be more waiting. But in the waiting, God was filling His people with joy and hope and inviting the lost to find Him and follow Him. 

As Jesus walked this earth in human form, He often told stories, parables, to explain the kingdom of God. He encouraged us to use our imaginations as we pondered God. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, we see a beautiful picture of how God waits for sinners to return to Him. In Luke 15, we read, “But while he (the son) was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” He waits, consistently scanning the horizon for signs of the son’s return. He waits with compassion, ready to forgive and accept the wandering son. He is not angry or vengeful but full of love. He does not wait for the son to grovel but draws near to him with deep affection. 

Finally, in the book of Revelation, we read about the second coming of Christ, riding on a horse with a sword coming from His mouth (19:11-16). He defeats Satan and rightly judges the nations (20:7-15). And then a new heaven and a new earth come down and God’s people are finally and forever reunited with God with great joy and celebration (21). All of the waiting ends… not by any work of humanity’s hands, but by the generosity of God. 

But as humanity waits for the second coming, I wonder…

Is the Spirit still hovering? Yes. He is actively working in the hearts and minds of believers to wait and work with hope. He is actively working in the hearts of unbelievers to trust and follow Jesus. 

Is God still speaking through the sky to proclaim the good news of Jesus? Yes. With every sunrise, sunset, twinkling star, cloud, and eclipse I think God is raising our eyes to glory far above what this earth has to offer. 

Is God still watching and ready to greet the wandering child? Absolutely! Full of love and compassion, He delights to run and kiss the returning wanderer and bring them back into the family, not as slaves, but dearly loved children.

And as I use my imagination, I wonder, is the Son taking that white horse we read about in Revelation out on practice rides to make sure they’re as quick as can be when that great day comes and Christ returns? Does the Son carry around the sword, desiring the evil one’s final defeat and righteous judgment? I even wonder, instead of sitting leaned back on their thrones working away, are the Father and Son whispering with excitement leaned forward, or even standing, in a longing for everything that is broken to be made whole? 

The truth is, God knows the entire story. There are no questions to be answered, no trouble-shooting to work out before the return of Christ. But that doesn’t mean He is waiting with apathy or quiet resignation. Our God waits, with patient anticipation. With faithfulness and generosity. With grace and mercy for the wanderer. 

And our God waits with LOVE. A compassionate, joyful, generous love that delights over us now and will be fully consummated on that great day with celebration and feasting. 

So, believer, know that regardless of how you wait, God waits with perfect, palpable love and faithfulness. May we root ourselves in this beautiful truth. 

And for any who, like the prodigal son, have wandered off in rebellion but wonder if there is a way to come back home to God… know that He waits with love and forgiveness, desiring your return. If you want to know more about God and what He has done to bring you back to Him, we would love to talk with you! Join us on Sundays or reach out here. 

One day soon, our waiting will end. And for those who love and trust Jesus, it will end with the joyful embrace of God welcoming us into His presence for all eternity. God tells us, “Surely I am coming soon.” (Revelation 22:20) As we wait for that day, may the cry of our hearts be, “Come, Lord Jesus!”