Daily Butter 11/9: Expectation

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/9/11):

 

Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple complex. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for Him what was customary under the law, Simeon took Him up in his arms, praised God,

(Luke 2:27-7b HSCB)

 

While I totally agree with Julie Ackerman Link’s comments in today’s ODB about the cultural view of waiting being misunderstood as a waste, I see a couple differences. The obedient driver waiting for his/her number to be called at the bureau of motor vehicles is an entirely different type of waiting than the deer hunter in his/her tree stand. While ten minutes at the BMV would have our same hunter fit to be tied, s/he will sit hours in frigid temperatures with an ear to the breeze, constantly scanning his/her range of vision. Why? Expectations. For those of us over the age of sixteen, there is no thrill to be had when your number is called at the BMV but just checking one thing off the to-do list. For the hunter, whether the anticipation of the experience of the kill, of the trophy on the wall, or of the venison on the plate, there is an eagerness for what lies at the end of the wait. For Simeon, there was an eagerness that kept him alerts so that he heard the prompting of the Spirit to meet the promised one.

 

   But those who wait on the LORD

      Shall renew their strength;

      They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

      They shall run and not be weary,

      They shall walk and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:31 NKJV)

 

So… What are You waiting for?

 

- Andy Jentes