Advent Devotion – December 1 – Wayne Patton

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.

Scripture: Lamentations 3:25-33

Today life in America is a lot different than it was just one year ago. We now go to church on Zoom or Facebook. Our children are taught by teachers who are not in the same room; and our families and friends can not gather for fellowship. There is no end in sight and we try to carry on the best we know how. In a way, we have become servants to COVID-19.

In the book of Lamentations, we find that the southern kingdom of Judah has fallen and the people have been enslaved in Babylon. They are at the mercy of the Babylonians. Life as they knew it was completely different. They had lost all hope of returning to their former life.

In Lamentations 3:25-30 the Israelites are given some advice on how to deal with their situation. They were told to go off by themselves in silence and bow in prayer. The people were encouraged not to ask questions but wait for hope to appear. They were also told not to run from trouble, but to face it head on. The worst is never the worst.

The problem we have today is that we do not know how to be silent and we are always anxious. We don’t want to wait on God because we want to be in control. In this season of Advent, we can learn from Lamentations to place our hopes, prayers and trust in God as we await the coming of Christ.

Wayne Patton

Core Idea: Human suffering is part of earthly life, but the coming kingdom of God promises peace.