He’s coming to save us!
but not just quite yet
there’s things still to do
and there’s plans to perfect
we wait and we suffer
we watch all the pain
lose hope in His coming
weep loud and complain
we need Him, He’s coming
it’s promised, it’s so
we ponder, we wait
and we suffer the blow
yet He’s coming, He comes
never late, but not early
we writhe and we die
we lose focus, grow surly
yet yet yet
how we hate, how we loathe
that foul word
it’s a stench in our nose
it’s a promise, absurd
but we cannot forget
no not yet, it’s not time
there’s a promise, it’s true
a Word spoken, divine
but my friend, not for you
not for me, not for us
not your daughter, my son
one more million and plus
it’s not yet, no not yet
He’s not coming this year
and the worry, the creep
the dark doubling of fear
here another one dies
he a brother, a friend
he did not see Messiah
not to his bitter end
yet yet yet
i do not want to here it again
don’t you say it
hush up
tired of hoping for when
no, He’s coming, we know!
we believe that it’s true
but our God, oh our God
can we still make it through
because all that we hear
is deep silence from You
there is stillness in heaven
our hopes are now few
do You see how long, Lord
just how long it has been
20 dead generations
not one sign of when
with no King of the promise
we’re losing our fight
to stay true to Your vow
to the wonder, the light
yet yet yet
yet yet yet
He’s not here, nothing's new
one more year, one more century
doesn’t matter, we’re through
oh Lord God, we’ve collapsed
can You hear our weak prayer
one more year is impossible
on this road to despair
where’s the promise, the King
where’s the Savior to come
we can’t take anymore
cuz there’s nowhere to run
we're oppressed and we’re dying
oh Lord God, are You there
where’s the cloud and the fire
and the signs of your care
we have given up hope
only darkness in sight
tried our best to hold out
but we've lost this long fight
yet yet yet
come and see
it is now, it’s today
He has come, He is here
He has come, we are saved
in the blink of an eye
He has come, changed our world
under this brightening star
a new flag is unfurled
He has come, it is yet
He is finally here
here with us, here right now
filled our hearts with good cheer
we’re the ones that He chose
feel the wonder, the grace
feel the joy in your toes
come and look at His face
through no goodness of yours
surely none that is mine
we have witnessed the coming
to man, the Divine
not one minute was wasted
not one generation
this is His greatest plan
this, the gift of His Son
I was thinking of leaving you with the waiting, but this week as I’ve remembered the 400 years of silence between the Old Testament and the New, I’ve been overwhelmed with gratitude at being on this side of the divide — and I wanted to invite you to join me here!
For the last several years of waiting on the adoption, then waiting on some anonymous official to turn his head so that we could leave Turkey, I’ve thought more times than I can count of God’s words to one of the Old Testament prophets that went something like this, “don’t worry about this king and how he’s oppressing you, in 65 years he’ll be dead and buried.”
And every time I read it, I want to shout out, “fat lot of good that does me, in 65 years I’ll be dead!”
Can you imagine not just 65, but 400 years of waiting? I can, and as I worked through it, I became more and more grateful that it was nothing more than a thought experiment!
As we celebrate the coming of Jesus this year, let us also celebrate God’s mercy expressed to us in choosing this particular window for the blip of our earthly lives to occur. Because of this timing, because we’ve lived our few years on this side of Christmas, we’ve had the opportunity to know that segment of God’s great plan rather than still be waiting for it!
Perhaps we’d also like to know more about this segment of God’s great plan, but that’s another story. ;-)
Today, this morning, I say — thanks be to God, for the inexpressible goodness of being able to look back on Jesus’ birth, instead of wrestling and waiting and fighting off despair as we desperately cling to hope and still look forward to it.
Thanks be to God, again and again!