Joy in the Journey: The Joy that Waits

"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

-Psalm 16:11

Tonight is a time to pause. The work is done. The noise has softened. The world is holding its breath as it waits for the week ahead. Tonight, joy waits. It settles into the night with calm certainty of what is about to come.

King David understood this kind of waiting. In the psalms, he speaks with confidence not because circumstances were calm for him, as they overflowed with danger and grief, but because God’s presence was sure. He could wait without fear because joy was not postponed, it was already known in the presence of God. This is the kind of waiting we step into tonight. We wait, not anxious or empty, but expectant, anchored in the joy that what God has promised is already on its way.

This is Advent’s final night before the Christ Candle. A joy that knows what is coming, even before it arrives. Like a child on Christmas Eve, joy is present now, not because the gift has already been opened, but because it is certain. We know what is coming.

The Christmas story unfolds this way. Before shepherds arrive. Before angels sing triumphantly, before the world notices, there is quiet. A holy hush where joy is already alive, waiting to be revealed.

Tomorrow, the Christ Candle is lit to proclaim that the Light has come. But tonight, joy invites us to trust what we cannot yet see. To rest in the nearness of God. To believe that even in silence, fullness is already on its way. For us teachers, this may be one of the most unfamiliar disciplines of all - not intervening, not planning the next move, not carrying responsibility late into the night. This joy rests in releasing what cannot be solved before morning and trusting.

God is at work even when we are not.

It Can Wait

What am I still trying to solve that can wait until tomorrow?

Where do I need to release control and rest?

What worry am I holding that I could set down for the night?

Prayer

God of Eternal Joy, tonight we rest in the stillness You provide. Quiet our striving, fill our hearts, and help us trust what You are already bringing to life. As we wait for the Light to be revealed, let Your joy hold us secure. Amen.