By: The Rev. Canon Greg Goebel
No one enjoys waiting. Waiting in line. Waiting for a parking space. Waiting for a sermon to end! And, on a more serious note, waiting for test results or a child to come home from war or a loved one to pass away in peace. Waiting isn’t easy.
And, finally, we are all “waiting for the world to change.” We all know this world we live in needs healing and peace. It needs God’s intervention.
That’s what the prophet Isaiah was talking about. The people of Israel had tried to make God’s plan happen in their own way, according to their own agenda. It had not worked, leaving Israel impoverished, vulnerable, and in trouble. No one knew or followed God’s way anymore. It seemed hopeless.
And yet Isaiah promised that the desert would bloom, the glory of God would return, and the eyes of the blind would see. The Lord himself would do it, so Isaiah said, “Be strong, do not fear!” Despite Israel’s misunderstanding of what God was up to, he did fulfil this prophecy, and he did restore their land and reveal their Messiah.
In Advent, we focus on waiting. Like Israel, we are waiting in what seems like a desert sometimes. Our own lives aren’t what we dreamed they would be. Our nation and our world aren’t either. When it comes to life, we wish that life were honored, respected, and protected by everyone. We see a desert around us, devoid of compassion and love for the most vulnerable.
And yet the Lord will break forth in the wilderness, and He will bring forth streams in the desert. He will do it. Be strong, and do not fear. Strengthen the weak hands, serve Him, and trust Him to send rivers of living water to us and to our land.