First Thursday of Advent: Are We There Yet?
I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
—Psalm 116:1–2
It was only an hour into our road trip, and the kids were driving me to my wits’ end.
After the chaos of checklists, packing, final walk-throughs—and more yelling than I’d like to admit—my wife C.J. and I held unrealistically high hopes of a peaceful drive to visit our out-of-state family. Yet, our cadre of kids in the rows behind us had buckled themselves in with the ignorance and innocence of children.
Our kids imagined the joy of the journey ahead, and they couldn’t hold it in. So it didn’t take long for their incessant inquiries to begin. Benji was lead vocalist, and all three of his sisters sang harmony.
Three-year-old Benji is the youngest of our four children and the only boy. He also happens to be the most curious about where we are going, how long it is going to take to get there, and who will be there upon our arrival. He bursts with wonder—asking, envisioning, and squirming with anticipation.
Ironically, I used my adult volume to demand their silence, though it didn’t make much of a dent in the din. It was difficult to communicate my frustration without the usual intimidating parental eye contact. So, like many well-prepared parents who have gone before me, I resorted to bribery. Snacks, anyone?
It held them off. But not for long.
Adding to the noise was my internal monologue. It went something like this: "If they would just be quiet and listen to what I already said! We will get there!" But the Lord interrupted my agitated thoughts and invited me to take the posture of trust evident in my children.
Children openly wonder and expect a response from their earthly parents, and with a little distance and time to reflect (thank you, vacation), I recognized the beauty of this posture. I had mistaken their questions for a lack of trust. It was exactly the opposite! Their trust overflowed with constant and confident question-asking.
And I began to wonder—do we take this same posture with our Heavenly Father?
I don’t. If God fails to operate on my timetable, I often get discouraged. And my discouragement can insidiously skew my picture of the Lord. I assume God is like me: annoyed, dismissive, and attending to more important things. Asking and not receiving stirs the pain within me until I eventually stop asking.
If I’m not careful, I can go from asking God to blaming God.
And the One whom I once trusted to heal broken relationships, bestow beautiful blessings, and empower eternal dreams conveniently becomes the scapegoat for why my life isn’t all I think it should be.
However, unlike irritable earthly fathers, our Heavenly Father welcomes the clamoring expectations of His children. If you have ever traveled with children, it might be easy to say “Yes!” and “Amen!” to a call for quiet kids on road trips. But what if they are living more faithfully than we are?
The earliest members in the family of God called Yahweh by many names: God Who Sees (El Roi), God Who Hears (Elohim Shama), God Who Is Near (Elohim Qarob). Calling God by these names reminded them of the One with whom they spoke. And during this Advent season, let us remember one other name for our God—Immanuel.
He is not a distant, nameless God; He is with us on the journey.
Traveling children know their parents see them, hear them, and are near to them. They understand the privileges afforded to them because of their relationship with the one driving. So of course they keep asking—especially when they sense the perils of the road ahead. We are afforded these same privileges with our Heavenly Father!
Do you know God sees you and hears you at this very moment? He is near and wants to hear your heart.
God’s beloved, whatever you face today, turn your attention to the One whose attention is on you. When you do, you will join the chorus of trusting children, echoing the Psalmist: “I will call on him as long as I live.”
—Jonathan Wagner reaches out to students at the University of Central Florida and Valencia College, Downtown Campus through a partnership with First Presbyterian Church of Orlando.
he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
—Psalm 116:1–2
It was only an hour into our road trip, and the kids were driving me to my wits’ end.
After the chaos of checklists, packing, final walk-throughs—and more yelling than I’d like to admit—my wife C.J. and I held unrealistically high hopes of a peaceful drive to visit our out-of-state family. Yet, our cadre of kids in the rows behind us had buckled themselves in with the ignorance and innocence of children.
Our kids imagined the joy of the journey ahead, and they couldn’t hold it in. So it didn’t take long for their incessant inquiries to begin. Benji was lead vocalist, and all three of his sisters sang harmony.
Three-year-old Benji is the youngest of our four children and the only boy. He also happens to be the most curious about where we are going, how long it is going to take to get there, and who will be there upon our arrival. He bursts with wonder—asking, envisioning, and squirming with anticipation.
Ironically, I used my adult volume to demand their silence, though it didn’t make much of a dent in the din. It was difficult to communicate my frustration without the usual intimidating parental eye contact. So, like many well-prepared parents who have gone before me, I resorted to bribery. Snacks, anyone?
It held them off. But not for long.
Adding to the noise was my internal monologue. It went something like this: "If they would just be quiet and listen to what I already said! We will get there!" But the Lord interrupted my agitated thoughts and invited me to take the posture of trust evident in my children.
Children openly wonder and expect a response from their earthly parents, and with a little distance and time to reflect (thank you, vacation), I recognized the beauty of this posture. I had mistaken their questions for a lack of trust. It was exactly the opposite! Their trust overflowed with constant and confident question-asking.
And I began to wonder—do we take this same posture with our Heavenly Father?
I don’t. If God fails to operate on my timetable, I often get discouraged. And my discouragement can insidiously skew my picture of the Lord. I assume God is like me: annoyed, dismissive, and attending to more important things. Asking and not receiving stirs the pain within me until I eventually stop asking.
If I’m not careful, I can go from asking God to blaming God.
And the One whom I once trusted to heal broken relationships, bestow beautiful blessings, and empower eternal dreams conveniently becomes the scapegoat for why my life isn’t all I think it should be.
However, unlike irritable earthly fathers, our Heavenly Father welcomes the clamoring expectations of His children. If you have ever traveled with children, it might be easy to say “Yes!” and “Amen!” to a call for quiet kids on road trips. But what if they are living more faithfully than we are?
The earliest members in the family of God called Yahweh by many names: God Who Sees (El Roi), God Who Hears (Elohim Shama), God Who Is Near (Elohim Qarob). Calling God by these names reminded them of the One with whom they spoke. And during this Advent season, let us remember one other name for our God—Immanuel.
He is not a distant, nameless God; He is with us on the journey.
Traveling children know their parents see them, hear them, and are near to them. They understand the privileges afforded to them because of their relationship with the one driving. So of course they keep asking—especially when they sense the perils of the road ahead. We are afforded these same privileges with our Heavenly Father!
Do you know God sees you and hears you at this very moment? He is near and wants to hear your heart.
God’s beloved, whatever you face today, turn your attention to the One whose attention is on you. When you do, you will join the chorus of trusting children, echoing the Psalmist: “I will call on him as long as I live.”
—Jonathan Wagner reaches out to students at the University of Central Florida and Valencia College, Downtown Campus through a partnership with First Presbyterian Church of Orlando.