Introduction

Advent: an arrival, an appearing, a revealing.

Let me start with a confession: I don’t like waiting. If I want something, why can’t I do something to make it happen, or at least work to make it come to me sooner? Are you like me?

I’m hard to shop for at Christmas time because if I really want something I’ll just buy it in October. Why wait until December? It’s hard to be content with what I’ve got now, or even where I’m at in life, because there are so many other things to get, to have, to want. I’ve struggled with always wanting to get to the next and the next and the next in life. Can you relate?

Here’s the frustrating-yet-beautiful thing about this Advent season: we get to remind ourselves that God is not in a hurry. He’s not in a rush, He’s working out all things in his own timing. That doesn’t mean He’s slow or dragging his feet, but He sees a bigger picture than you or I can. His ways really are higher than ours. That’s a promise I need to hold on to. Are you with me?

We get to enter into a season of anticipation and hope as we look back on how God makes promises to his people, incredible promises of a coming seed, a king, a child, a savior. Better than that, we get to see how He keeps those promises.

As we look back through the story of scripture, we teach our hearts to be faithful as we look forward. We look at the revealing of Jesus as a king born in a manger to save his people and it teaches our hearts to long for his return as the king in power when He comes to bring justice, righteousness, and make all things new.

I need this reminder year after year, Advent after Advent, day after day. Our king makes promises to His people built on his love, for our joy, giving us peace, and he invites us to wait with our hearts and minds filled with this hope for His timing. I need to slow down from the speed of the season, the rush of life, and the hurry and worry we swim in and take a few moments to long for His arrival.

This devotional guide will walk you through six themes as we prepare our hearts to celebrate the coming of Jesus. These themes are: promise, waiting, hope, joy, love, and peace. We’ll have a short reading each day from December 1st through Christmas day based on a passage of scripture.

Here’s what I’d encourage you to do: carve out a consistent time to read the verse or passage of the day, then walk through the devotional reading. Set aside time to let your heart be caught up in the moments of longing, expectation, and anticipation of Jesus’ coming. Pray through the prompts throughout your day. Let the questions from each day provoke your heart to step out of the rush and into eternal realities.

As we walk through advent together, maybe, just maybe, we will learn to trust God’s promises and timing a little bit more. Maybe we’ll experience what Jesus offered in his first coming—hope, joy, love, and peace. Maybe we’ll be better equipped to wait faithfully as we look to the promise of Jesus’ return.

Thanks for joining us this Advent season. We’re grateful for you and grateful to grow in anticipation with you.

– Nate and the Doxa staff