I love the anticipation Christmas brings. The build-up, the excitement that something big is coming adds to the holiday for me.

As a kid, I anticipated the gifts under the tree with my name on them. Some years were better than others. But every year, no matter the last, I built-up a new anticipation in my heart. I let myself get excited all over again- even if I was a little disappointed the year before. Every year, by the time New Year rolled around, the things that weren’t that important had long faded away. I was focused on what I had received.

As I’ve grown and matured over the years, my thoughts tend to drift more toward wanting things that can’t quite fit into brown paper packages nor can they be tied up with string. I wait for things that are less tangible, felt deep down, and last more than a week.

I wait for relationships and understanding, for wisdom and clarity. The shiny things don’t hold as much appeal anymore. Maybe cause I’ve lived long enough to watch so many of those things fade or get thrown away.

What are you waiting for?

Waiting isn’t easy, especially when we’re waiting for something we really want. Even worse, when it’s something we need or desperate to receive. Waiting is hard, but waiting reveals so much in us.

Israel waited hundreds of years for the Messiah to come. Generation after generation waited for liberation and freedom from their oppressors. When I study the Old Testament prophets like Isaiah and Ezekiel, I shudder to think of what it must have been like to live through that time. I can only imagine how grueling that kind of wait was for them.

Waiting reveals how much we really want something. If we give up quickly, was it really important to begin with? If it’s something that matters, we keep seeking and stay focused.

God is patient with us; He’s okay waiting on us. He doesn’t rush to appease out of fear that we will turn away. He moves in his timing, not ours. And when he does, it’s spectacular.

David spoke often of waiting on God. He anticipated what God would do and how He would help. His confidence, his hope, his view of God wasn’t circumstantial. He trusted in the character of God and that through the waiting He would bring good.

Psalm 5:3, “In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”

Psalm 27:13-14, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Psalm 130: 5, “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.”

What is on your Christmas list? Have you given up asking, afraid to get your hopes up? Don’t be afraid to ask, anticipate, even get your hopes up a little. God can be trusted with what your heart desires.

Anticipate what God wants to give you this Christmas. It may be your deepest desire, it may be what He desires. Either way, you’re in good hands.