I’ve purposely taken a break from writing during our break (or interlude) from this project.
We finished the ‘Old Testament’ part of The Story just before Christmas. And now after a week-long break we’re picking up with the ‘New Testament’ part.
During this interlude, I tried to focus on the waiting. Through the first part of The Story there was so much anticipation. Hope for a future… for a Savior.
In Biblical history there was a 400-year period in between the Old and the New. That’s a long time to wait…
Even for me today, waiting a week to start talking about the New was tough. I can hardly imagine what it must’ve been like for the Israelites to live that long in ‘the wait’…
…especially under the rule of foreign kings…
…especially with a Temple that didn’t have the Shekhinah…
Yet they waited. Faithfully.
Just like today… we wait for the return. Yet our wait is somehow different. We have His Spirit active and working through us today. We should be grateful for that. But we still wait, and prepare for the return of our King.
This wait, this pause in The Story (in the book), is helping me to better understand anticipation. And I look forward to blasting into the New part of The Story and experiencing the feelings that come when the wait is finally over.
You put words to my feelings here, Dan. I was so eager to jump into the coming chapters, and I did not come away disappointed. However, I feel a bit … speechless. I’ve been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Savior through this whole project, and now — after reading the chapter entitled “Christ” — I’m …
just …
without words.
It reminds me of the praise-and-worship song with these lyrics:
“And I’ll stand in awe of You
… And I’ll let my words be few.
Jesus, I am so in love with You.”
This is one of those projects that often leaves me in tears… not the bad/sad kind, but the kind that drives me to my knees in awe and worship of our God.
Thank you Jennifer for putting that song into my mind… #fistbump