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Joyful Waiting
“Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?”
Genesis 18:14
Sarah knew something about waiting. She had waited a long time for God to make good on His promise to give her a son. Yet, as the years went by, she saw no visible change. From the initial promise God made to her in Genesis 12, Sarah waited for 25 years for God's promise to be fulfilled after being first told. By the time she finally gave birth to Isaac, Sarah was 90 years old and Abraham was 100.
At one point, during her long wait, she overheard an angel allude to her having a child (Genesis 18:10). But when Sarah heard him say this, she laughed (Genesis 18:12). This was not the laughter of delight but of disbelief. And it’s hard to blame her. She was painfully aware of her age and probably wondered how much time she had left. But upon hearing Sarah’s cynical laughter, the Angel responded, “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14) And he was right. Despite her old age, Sarah eventually gave birth to Isaac. God made good on His promise.
When we read Sarah’s story, it’s hard not to empathize with her. Waiting is hard. And it’s especially difficult when you are told something good is just around the corner. Our observance of Advent is sort of like this. Advent is a season in which we train our hearts to wait patiently — yet expectantly and eagerly — for Christ. Several traditions enable us to do this. Take the practice of lighting an Advent wreath, for instance. Each week, only one candle is lit, despite there being several on the wreath that remain unlit. This small act of patiently lighting one candle per week reminds us that God’s promises grow slowly, not all at once. Another tradition which I find helpful is singing Advent hymns, as opposed to Christmas carols. The two that I especially love are “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” and “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus.” Songs like these help us feel the importance of waiting even as they invite us to long for something that is joyful.
Our waiting, like Sarah’s, is challenging. But Sarah’s story ends on a good note: with laughter — this time the kind that erupts out of joy, “God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” (Genesis 21:6)
Advent ends with joy, too. The promise arrives. Christmas finally comes! The waiting is worth it. In the end, Sarah’s question is our question: “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?” Advent answers with a manger, a cross, and an empty tomb: No. Nothing is too hard for Him.
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