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The Prayer of Waiting
Recently in my work as an English professor, I discovered that Jacques Derrida, an atheist philosopher famous in my field, secretly prayed the same prayer throughout his life: "Come!" Emphatic, hopeful, almost despairing, near to rejoicing, the word come is a prayer of many dimensions, as readily the rhetorical entreaty of the skeptic—Come, and then I'll believe—as the impatient plea of the devout. The earliest Christians, living under a death sentence for their faith, prayed in Aramaic, "Come, Lord!"—Marana tha! And John, writing of the risen Lord's repeated promise that he would come soon, closed Revelation with the same prayer:
The Spirit and the bride say,
"Come."
And let everyone who hears say,
"Come."
And let everyone who is thirsty come
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
—Revelation 22:17, 20 (NRSV)
"Come!" is the central prayer of most carols, from "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" and "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus!" to "Come All Ye Faithful!" and "Joy to the World! The Lord Is Come!" In them, the word come references both the millennia of affliction and longing that preceded the Messiah's birth and the invitation, issued to those still yearning in the millennia that followed, to but come to the baby in the feed-trough and be fulfilled.
For the believer, "Come!" is the quintessential prayer of waiting, a conscious act of faith that our current unhappiness will end: God's plan will prevail, and the angels' promise of "great joy for all the people" (Luke 2:10, NRSV) is available—despite evidence to the contrary—right now.
To the first ones who heard this good news, Immanuel came after what must have seemed an endless agony of waiting. Imagine: a 2,000-year-old promise. Four hundred years since God had spoken at all. When I reenter the accounts of Jesus' arrival in our world, as I do every Advent, I'm struck by Mary's response to it all. Not so much by her famous willingness to "let it be with me according to your word" (Luke 1:38, NRSV) as by the confident song she sang about what had happened.
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Hope Ferguson
Very beautifully articulated and thoughtful article. I found myself nodding in recognition of the waiting upon joy -- with hope.
Jan Dykgraaff Sydney, Australia.
Lord God as we come in the most powerful Name of Jesus Christ into Your Presence, we praise You for Your covenant love to us and Your promises already mentioned in this article; we do uplift to You Patty asking for healing of her memories, especially that ugly sexual violation; may she be given of your great strength to release that memory into Your hands, so that in Your most perfect timing she will forgive that man who forced her long ago. We thank You for her husband & the family who accept her as You do, with unconditional love; please uphold them all, increase their love and service to You and to one another at this holy time as we all await Jesus coming again, as He said He would. May we also look to You Jehovah Jireh for Your faithful provision of all our needs, Amen. Thanks !
Vaughn
Beautifully written, this piece was exactly what I needed to hear this year. I'm waiting...Patty has encouraged me to wait in hope.
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