My last post was about waiting. Waiting for things can be hard, sometimes painful, but most of the time worth it – if we get what we are waiting for.
In the book of Hebrews, chapter 11 there is a case study of sorts, or what some call the “Hall of Faith” that describes the brave and courageous acts of faith that all of these Old Testament biblical characters engaged in. From Abel and Noah to the likes of Gideon and Samuel, the common denominator is this: all these noteworthy people were acting in faith while WAITING for an important event to play out.
“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:39-40
They were waiting for coming of the Messiah.
The promise of Jesus’ birth was just that, a promise that would unfold in some cases thousands of years after their personal, faithful acts of obedience to an unseen God. They were promised Jesus was coming. But all of them died without seeing that come to fruition.
This advent, as we WAIT for the coming of Jesus’ birth, we wait with certainty. Our Messiah, our Immanuel, our Savior HAS COME.
We live on this side of the cross. We don’t wait for Christmas day in hopes that someday he will come; we wait knowing he was born in a stable, ministered on Earth, died for all people and rose again.
And so then I ask, shouldn’t we have all the more faith than the “ancients” who were living with just a promise – not a promise fulfilled?