Waiting in Hope: How We Wait Matters

Merry Christmas! Today I welcomed our newest correctional campus at the Lowell Annex and celebrated the revival God is stirring behind those walls. Then we leaned into Advent as more than candles and carols; it’s a season defined by waiting. Advent is God’s “OMW”—on my way. But if we’re honest, waiting is hard. We live in a culture that hates delay, and Christmas has a way of spotlighting the things we’re still waiting on: relationships, children, prodigals coming home, healing, or loved ones meeting Jesus. I shared how waiting can be the hardest work of faith, and how Israel knew that ache—400 years of silence between Malachi and Matthew. OMW…then nothing. So we ask God, “WYA—where you at?” I’ve prayed that in hospital rooms with my son, and in the long years of church planting.

When Matthew opens with a genealogy, it’s not filler. It’s a roll call of waiters: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, the exiles. Then Jesus comes—but as a baby. More waiting. So the question isn’t just “How long?” It’s “How will we wait?” I told a story of cardiologist waiting-room chairs worn out on the front edge—anxious waiting. The Scriptures invite a different posture: waiting in hope. Four anchors help us do it. First, regardless of your past, you’re part of God’s plan. Matthew kept the cheats, liars, murderers, and even prostitutes in the family photo—because grace runs right through the crooked branches of that tree. Second, God’s plan is bigger than us. He’s for us, but it’s ultimately about His glory and the summing up of all things in Christ. Third, waiting is not wasted time; it’s formative time. Premature blessings crush; preparation strengthens. There’s a right time. Finally, hope-filled waiting trusts that God is good and present even in “terrible chapters.” Jeremiah 29:11 was spoken to people in exile. The gift is not just a plan—it’s the Planner. Our posture reveals our perspective. Are we trembling on the edge of the seat, or resting in the Promise Keeper? Christmas shouts that Jesus is the promise perfectly kept. If it’s not good yet, He’s not done.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Waiters fill God’s family photo Grace threads through a crooked family tree on purpose. Matthew refuses to crop out the messy stories—because God doesn’t. If He can weave tax collectors and prostitutes into redemption, there is room—and purpose—for you. Your past is context, not conclusion. [40:08]
• 2. His plan is bigger than me He is for us, but it isn’t all about us. The endgame is the praise of His glory and the uniting of all things under Christ. Remembering this frees us from entitlement and recenters our waiting within a grander, steadier story. [43:30]
• 3. Waiting forms capacity, not wasting time Delays are often divine development. God builds the strength to carry what we’re asking Him to give. Premature blessings can become crushing burdens; preparation is mercy. Trust the right time. [46:52]
• 4. Posture reveals perspective in the wait An anxious soul perches on the edge; a trusting soul rests. Romans 8:28 is as trustworthy as John 3:16, not just for eternity but for Tuesday afternoon. Choosing rest is not passivity—it’s confidence in the character of God. [53:02]
• 5. Christmas proves promises kept Centuries of “on my way” culminate in Emmanuel—God with us. He doesn’t just make promises; He keeps them. Let the manger recalibrate your timeline and your trust. [56:20]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [23:39] - OMW and our impatience
• [26:59] - Waiting: our hardest work of faith
• [30:22] - “Where you at, God?” and personal trials
• [33:31] - Genealogy: a who’s who of waiters
• [36:48] - How we wait matters: the chair story
• [40:08] - You’re part of God’s plan (messy family tree)
• [43:30] - His plan is bigger than us
• [46:52] - Waiting isn’t wasted; it’s formative
• [50:11] - Trusting God in terrible chapters
• [53:02] - Posture reveals perspective: trembling vs. trusting
• [56:20] - Christmas: the promise perfectly kept
• [59:18] - Prayer for the anxious and the searching
• [62:17] - Salvation prayer together

1. In Matthew 1:1-17, what unusual names or notes do you see in Jesus’ family line (for example, women like Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, “the wife of Uriah,” and the mention of “the exile to Babylon”)? What does the structure highlight?
2. List the waiting moments mentioned: Abraham’s long wait for a son, Isaac’s waits, Jacob’s reconciliation, David’s years between anointing and the throne, and Israel’s 70 years in exile. What patterns do you observe? [33:31]
3. What did the “OMW/WYA” picture communicate about how people feel when they’re waiting? [23:39]
4. What did the cardiologist’s worn-out chairs illustrate about the posture of people’s hearts while they wait? [36:48]

1. Why might God intentionally keep “crooked branches” in Jesus’ family tree (cheats, liars, murderers, even prostitutes)? What does that say about grace and how God uses our past? [40:08]
2. If God’s endgame is the praise of His glory and the uniting of all things in Christ, how does that re-center a person’s waiting and confront a “me-first” mentality? [43:30]
3. Why might “premature blessings” crush rather than bless? How does the idea of “the right time” shape wise, hope-filled waiting? [46:52]
4. Jeremiah 29:11 was spoken to people in exile. What is the difference between trusting a plan and trusting the Planner, and how would that change the way someone waits in a hard chapter? [50:11]

1. What are you waiting on right now (relationship, child, prodigal, healing, salvation for a loved one)? If your soul had a “chair posture,” are you perching on the front edge or resting back? What one practice could help you rest in God this week? [36:48]
2. Which story or name in Jesus’ genealogy most encourages you that grace makes room for you? If your past is “context, not conclusion,” what is one next step to walk in God’s purpose this week? [40:08]
3. Where has a “me, myself, and I” mindset taken over your waiting? What is one concrete way you can re-center on God’s glory (a prayer, a choice, a conversation) in the next 48 hours? [43:30]
4. Think of a time delay that later proved to be development. What strength or capacity is God building in you right now? Identify one “training rep” you will do this week to cooperate with His preparation. [46:52]
5. If you’re in a “terrible chapter,” what would it look like to prioritize the Planner’s presence over the plan’s timing? Choose one daily rhythm (Scripture, prayer walk, worship, or reaching out for community) to practice for the next 7 days. [50:11]
6. Romans 8:28 is as trustworthy as John 3:16. Where do you need to declare, “God is working this for good,” over a very specific Tuesday-afternoon kind of situation? What will you pray and do differently this week? [53:02]
7. Christmas proves God keeps promises. What promise from God’s Word are you clinging to right now, and how will you let the manger recalibrate your timeline and trust? [56:20]