Letter from the Hospital Ward
We will all have stories of when we waited for something or someone but
how shall we wait for Jesus’ return during advent.
Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord
In the Book of Revelations, there’s a very beautiful passage where the
prophet John, speaking on behalf of the Lord in his vision, says (and this
would be Jesus), “Look, I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my call,
open the door and I will come in to be with you, have supper with you, and
you with me.” That’s the coming of Jesus. It’s an invitation to every one of us
to welcome him into our lives, into our heart, into our spirit.
If we prepare for this coming of Jesus, it’s important for us to make sure that
each day we spend some time in quiet. It doesn’t have to be hours on end;
even just a few moments when we separate ourselves from all the
distractions — all the distractions that keep us occupied, our minds
occupied. We’re always connected to the devices that we have now: cell
phones and iPads and computers, Facebook. We’re constantly being
connected to other people, to the world around us.
But how much time do we spend trying to relate to the God who lives in our
heart? See, that takes quiet. And so, during this season of Advent when
we’re preparing for that coming of Jesus into my heart personally, I must find
the time to separate myself, for at least a short time, from all the distractions
around me and go into the quiet of my own heart and pray. But the prayer
I’m talking about is not simply asking God for things, or even thanking God
for the blessings we have.
It’s a prayer of listening, because when we open that door and Jesus comes
into our heart, if we take some of his words from the Gospels, read them, try
to listen to them, we’ll experience a whole new coming of Jesus into our
lives. So, that’s the second thing that I think we must do during this season
of waiting, the season of Advent, looking for the coming of Jesus.
In the 25th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel we hear; “When I was hungry, you
gave me [food] to eat. When I was thirsty, you gave me drink. When I was
naked, you clothed me. When I was in prison, you visited me. When I was
sick, you came to see me.” “When?”, the people in the Gospel say, “When
did we do that?” “Whenever you did it to the least of one of my brothers or
sisters, you did it to me.” So, if we’re waiting for Jesus to come into our lives,
then we must go out to those where Jesus is most of all.
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