Building Expectation

Advent 2011 day 1
Psalm 62:5-6
My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. (KJV)

Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (KJV)

Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint. (KJV)

Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) (KJV)

We have just entered one of the biggest times of waiting of the whole year. Thanksgiving is over, and it is almost time for Christmas. Christmas lists are being made, presents are being bought, decorations are being put up. And all of it is leading us toward Christmas morning, when we tear into the presents and see all of the awesome things that we have been given.
But the first Christmas was full of a different kind of waiting. They weren't just waiting to get a bunch of cool presents, they were waiting for their saviour to come and rescue them.
And if we're honest, that is what we should be thinking about more than presents. Look around you. When three babies are killed by abortion every minute in the U.S. alone. When forty-eight women are raped every hour in the Congo. When little kids who have done nothing wrong become AIDs orphans and are themselves infected. That's when we should be waiting for our Saviour to return.
And while we wait, we are not waiting alone. God is faithful. He is our rock and our salvation. He is our defense. All of those things say that he is near to us. Even when it feels like we are alone, we have our saviour.
We should be waiting for the Kingdom of God, but we are better off than the Israelites were before the first Christmas. We have the Holy Spirit. But that anticipation should still be there. Can you truly say that you are as excited about the return of Jesus as you are in the time that leads up to Christmas?