When we want something to happen,

when it’s going to be good,

when today isn’t that great.

But we have to wait.  It’s hard.

The Old Testament of the Bible ended on a high point of the Israelites turning back to God, listening to him and trying to obey.  Then came a 400-year break in God’s Word to us.

We know the Israelites continued on with their lives during that time. They were waiting….

expecting the Messiah to show up. How long were they going to have to wait?

I’m reading and blogging through the Chronological Bible which is re-organized so it follows the actual timeline that things happened.  I started reading Genesis on January 1 and now it’s October.  So 3/4 of the Bible is the Old Testament.  If three-quarters of what God wants to reveal to us is in the Old Testament, then I’m very glad I’ve been reading and studying the Old Testament every year for the last 10 years.  After spending 3/4 of the year reading the Old Testament, I have a better understanding of how badly the world at that time needed Jesus.  My anticipation of the coming Messiah rises as I read over and over again of the Israelites turning away from God, getting lost in idol worship, paying the consequences and repenting.  Then they get their spiritual act together – but just for a short time until they start wandering again.

Oh, how serious was their need for a Savior!

It was hard to wait.

You and I live under the New Covenant with God.  The Messiah has come.  There is no more waiting.  Jesus was sent to earth to offer free salvation to everyone who would put their faith in him.  And it’s really clear right now that our culture needs saving just as badly as the Israelites did.

The last 1/4 of the Bible is so much easier to read than the Old Testament because Jesus’ love, grace, truth and light shines out of the New Testament.  Jesus is our role-model for how God wants us to live our lives here on earth.

A smile spreads across my face as I begin to read the New Testament – the rest of the story – for the 10th time.

No more waiting.   The Messiah has come.  This is the really good stuff.

Thank you, Jesus.