Louie Giglio - Waiting Here for You

WAITING HERE FOR YOU

2014, 2015 by Louie Giglio

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Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version). Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

ISBN-13: 978-0-7180-8508-7

ISBN: 978-0-7180-8496-7 (eBook)

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CONTENT

BUT AS FOR ME,
I WILL WATCH EXPECTANTLY
FOR THE LORD;
I WILL WAIT FOR THE
GOD OF MY SALVATION.
MY GOD WILL HEAR ME.

(MICAH 7:7, NASB)

Welcome to the season of Advent, a celebration of hope that traditionally spans the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. And, welcome to Waiting Here for You, a devotional guide filled with hope for everyone who is waiting: waiting on a solution, a deal to go through, a diagnosis, a relationship, a breakthrough, a rescue.

Advent simply means arrivalin the case of Christmas, the arrival of Jesus, the greatest gift ever given to the world. For on a chaotic night in the little town of Bethlehem a miracle happened. Down the slope of a hill, in a cave carved out by the wind and rain, a place where animals took shelter in the storm, a Savior was born who would take away the sins of the world.

But Jesus didnt arrive without a wait. While you and I simply turn the page, moving effortlessly from the end of the Old Testament promises to the opening of Matthews Gospel, it wasnt quite that easy. Four hundred years of silence spanned the gap between the final prophecies spoken in Malachi (the last Old Testament book) and the birth of Christ.

Imagine four hundred years without a word from Godno voice, no prophet, nothing. Imagine the agony of waiting, and the struggle to keep faith in the promises given long before. You can almost hear the questions being passed from one generation to the next. Was God gone? Was He ever really there? Was faith in Him just a waste?

Suddenly, when the time was right, Bethlehems fields lit up like noonday as angels proclaimed, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men on whom his favor rests.

The wait was over. The silence was broken. Heaven unleashed thunderous applause. And in a messy manger, Jesus was born. God in human flesh! The Son of God had become the Son of Man. EmmanuelGod with us!

From the beginning, the Christmas story has been one of fulfilled longing. It reaffirms our faith and gives us reason to celebrate the goodness and nearness of God. As we struggle with our own sense of silence and strain to see God at work in our messy lives, Christmas urges us on by reminding us that God will come through on His promises.

Sadly, the frenzy we call the holiday season is a mad dash of tinsel and toys, driven more by consumerism than anything else, and creating a perfect storm of anxiety that can easily cause us to miss Gods voice. Ironically, the season that marks the arrival of the Prince of Peace has somehow begun to leave us feeling frantic, stressed, alone, and peace-less.

It doesnt have to be this way. Christmas is about waiting and hoping in God. If we are willing to ask Him, God will give us the grace to slow the pace. And He will help us remember how loved we are and how faithful He is. If we wait expectantly for Him, God will lift our eyes and draw near to us. He will remind us that waiting is not wasting when we are waiting on the Lord.

My hope is that this Advent devotion will help you hear the cries of the baby in the manger and the words of the Messiah on the cross. I pray that it will encourage and fortify your faith so hope may bloom again.

For each day throughout the Advent journey you will find Scripture readings, Christian meditations, words of encouragement, and prayers. Carve out a few moments daily to embrace the gift of Christmas through reflection, worship, and prayer. As you do, theres a good chance something new will be born in your heart, so when Christmas day arrives you will be able to truly celebrate what God has done and what He has promised to do.

So lets get started. What are you waiting for?

This wasnt how Aaron planned on spending Christmas. He glanced around the room at the tilting artificial tree in the corner, its pathetic single strand of twinkling lights reflecting off the wall. On a nearby table, a plastic platter hosted a collection of stale cookies, each shaped like an angel. But no amount of Christmas cheer could brighten the mood or bring comfort to the uneasy few scattered around the room. Unlike other happy Christmas destinations, no one was there by choice. Like Aarons family, they all had been summoned by circumstances beyond their control.

It had been weeks since Aaron had first found the room tucked at the end of a third floor hallway. By now he could navigate the walk in his sleep. Circle into the south deck, traverse the long hallway from building B, take the north elevators to the third floor, two right turns and another hallway to what seemed like a holding cell of hope. By now the minutes were dragging into hours and the hours into days. Outside, the sky faded from day to night to day so many times he had lost count. Sometimes he stayed all day, other times all night. And when exhaustion finally drew him into restless sleep, he would awaken with the fleeting possibility that this was all a crazy dream. And then hed unfold the small piece of paper in his pocket and read his moms handwritten note.

Well be okay. Love you.

Aaron had figured out how the system worked. He knew his best chance to get an update on his moms condition was to be in the little hallway between the ICU waiting room and the entrance to the patient area around 7:00 a.m. Fortunately, that morning Dr. Amer rounded the corner on cue. Their eyes met and the doctor crossed the hall with determination.