December 19 • Hesitant

Waiting and hoping do not require us to stop living. We think that waiting is like pressing pause. But waiting is actually work: putting our hands to action, doing the things God has put on our hearts to do. We are not stagnant. Sure, there is more ahead. There are certainly plans for the future, dreams worth dreaming. But that does not mean we have a free pass on the things that we need to get done today. We need to get to work. 

Waiting is work. There are people in our lives who need us. There are things that need to get done. When God’s people were kicked out of their homes and hoping only to get back to them, God commanded them otherwise: Build houses, plant gardens. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile. [Jeremiah 29:5-7] 

The goal of hope in Jesus is that God will redeem and buy back our whole lives- both body and soul. Let’s not give God more to redeem, but let’s join him in the task at hand. Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. [Ephesians 5:15-16]