Don’t Waste the Wait
Christmas is my favorite time of year.
I love the lights, the music, the traditions, and the sense of wonder that seems to hover in the air. But more than anything else, I love the miracle of Christmas—the quiet, holy truth that God chose to enter our world in the most unexpected way.
This Christmas, I’ve been thinking about a woman in Scripture who understood waiting better than most of us ever will. Her name is Anna.
Anna’s story is tucked into just three verses in Luke 2, but her life speaks volumes. She was a prophetess—one who heard from God and spoke His truth. She was widowed at a young age and lived for decades with dreams that never came true. Her life did not turn out the way she hoped. And yet, Anna did something extraordinary with her waiting.
She did not waste it.
Anna spent years—long years—in the temple, praying, fasting, worshiping, and listening for the voice of God. While others might have grown bitter or disengaged, Anna leaned in. She stayed close. She positioned her heart where heaven could interrupt her ordinary days.
And then one day—at just the right moment—Mary and Joseph walked into the temple carrying a baby.
Anna recognized Him immediately.
This is what waiting faithfully does: it sharpens your spiritual vision. It trains your heart to recognize the miraculous when it arrives quietly, wrapped in humility rather than hype.
Christmas reminds us that God often works while we wait. Not after. Not once the waiting is over. But in the waiting itself.
Many of us approach Christmas carrying disappointment. We’re waiting for relationships to heal, prayers to be answered, prodigals to return, bodies to recover, finances to improve, or loneliness to lift. The season can magnify what’s missing instead of what’s present.
But Anna teaches us a different way.
She didn’t define her life by what she lost. She defined it by whom she worshiped.
Rather than rehearsing her pain, Anna rehearsed the promises of God. Rather than talking endlessly about what had gone wrong, she spoke about the redemption she knew was coming. She chose devotion over despair—and that choice prepared her heart to witness the Messiah.
Here is the gentle question Christmas asks each of us: What are you doing with your wait?
Are you filling it with worry, distraction, and noise—or with prayer, worship, and expectation?
Christmas is not about the magic of the season; it’s about the miracle of Emmanuel—God with us. And miracles often come to those who are watching, listening, and waiting with hope.
I believe God allows seasons of emptiness so that we can fill them with Him. The manger was empty before Jesus arrived. And perhaps your heart feels a bit like that right now—unfinished, unfulfilled, or longing for more.
That’s not a failure. That’s an invitation.
This Christmas, don’t rush past the holy stillness. Don’t waste the wait. Make room.
Make room for Jesus in the middle of your busy schedule or your quiet loneliness. Make room for Him in your disappointment and your unanswered prayers. Make room for Him not just as a guest in your celebrations, but as the center of your life.
Like Anna, stay close to God. Keep listening. Keep praying. Keep worshiping. Keep believing that redemption is nearer than you think.
The miracle of Christmas is not found under the tree or wrapped in paper and ribbon. It is found when a heart says, “Yes, Lord—there is room for You here.”
And that miracle—Jesus making His home in you—is still happening today.
May you not miss it this Christmas.
In today’s Christmas teaching, Carol McLeod turns to the story of Anna, the prophetess who waited faithfully for God to move. Through Anna’s example, you’ll be encouraged to trust God in long seasons of silence, stay committed to prayer, and focus on the miraculous instead of the merely magical. This episode calls you to make space for Jesus in your everyday life and to see your disappointments as places where God can work. Listen in for your dose of Christmas encouragement!