The guru’s leisurely and unhurried lifestyle inspired his disciples. When asked about his cool conduct, he’d say, “I just don’t have the time to hurry.” During these days of Advent — from the Latin adventus, meaning “arrival” — in preparation for Christmas, Christians are exhorted to slow down, be aware, stay awake and wait.
The Advent motif of waiting on God has myriad meanings in the Bible. On a seemingly passive note, waiting on God requires patience, resignation, submission and acceptance of a less-than-ideal current state. The psalmist writes: “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.”
Second, waiting can be a test of faith, a trust in God rather than in human means. Third, waiting on God can be pregnant with hope and expectancy. To wait is to anticipate that God will, indeed, act: “It is for you, O Lord, that I wait; it is you, O God, who will answer.”
Truly, “God is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks God.” Finally, waiting can also refer to the end-times pictured as “waiting for a new heaven and a new earth.”
Francis Gonsalves is a professor of theology. He can be contacted at fragons@gmail.com
