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ISAIAH 9:6

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

ISAIAH 7:14

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

REFLECTION

Have you ever been in a text conversation when you can see the other person typing for a long time? Depending on your relationship with that person, you might be waiting with hopeful expectation. You might not close your phone until you see what the actual response is. Maybe it was preceded by “Hey, I’ve got good news!” and followed with a typing indicator. But what if those three little “texting” dots just stayed there…for hours? I know I’d probably get a little annoyed after a while. I’d probably close my phone eventually, and maybe check back from time to time. Perhaps I’d even question if that good news was even coming or not. Waiting is so hard–especially when it’s something that was promised to you.

The Israelites were promised a Saviour. They waited more than 400 years for God to fulfill his promise! Even then, their expectations versus the reality of Jesus were very different. But God knew what they needed, more than they could ever have imagined. Just as Jesus was and is the perfect Saviour that we need, God’s plan is the perfect plan for our lives–sometimes we just have to wait for it to unfold.

QUESTIONS

What are ways that we can practice patience as we wait for God?

How can we trust in God’s plan even when the outcome is different from what we expected?

FAMILY ACTIVITY

Sit quietly while a timer is set for two minutes. Have a small treat that is offered for the end of the two minutes.

Do this twice–the first time given no instructions on how to sit quietly, the second time instruct them to pray to themselves. Ask how it felt different when they were focusing on God during that time.

PRAYER

God, teach us how to wait with patience and hope for the fulfillment of Your promises in our lives. Help us to trust that Your timing is perfect, even when it feels delayed.