Watching and Waiting

By: David Jamieson

UCC President

There is a story told about a boy who desperately wanted a watch for Christmas. This was no ordinary watch. It was one of those fancy, high-tech watches that had many features and functions. As Christmas approached, he begged and begged his parents every day to receive this gift for Christmas until finally they had heard about it so much that they said, “Johnny, please don’t mention it again or you won’t get it.” Well, Johnny wasn’t one to give up easily, so he began to devise another plan of action to highlight his desire for this watch. He knew that his dad occasionally asked each person in the family to share a favorite Bible verse during family worship, so he selected his Bible verse strategically. When the family gathered for worship, sure enough, his dad asked everyone to share their favorite verse. When he came to Johnny, the boy said, “Dad, I’m not sure I should share my favorite Bible verse with you.” To which his dad replied, “Of course you should. Please tell me.” So, Johnny said, “Are you sure, Dad?” “Yes”, his dad replied, ‘I’m sure.” So with a deadpan face Johnny said, “Ok. It’s Mark 13:37 which says, “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

As we bring 2022 to a close, it strikes me that for a child, watching and waiting are very difficult things to do. How too for us! How hard it can be to wait on God! As we wait, it can seem that nothing is happening and that He never will answer us. But the Bible shares over and over again that when we place our trust in God and seek to know Him intimately every day, we no longer have to worry about delays or temporary problems. We know that He is with us, loves us, and watches over us. And we begin to have the patience to wait on Him. In fact, this kind of waiting demonstrates that we trust Him. Those who do not have an intimate relationship with God can tend to be preoccupied and worried, filled with turmoil, anxiety, uncertainty, and doubt. The Bible says, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). God wants to have an intimate relationship with you. He wants you to have complete confidence in Him. We are not to panic but are to trust in Him. We are to remember that He loves and cares for us, and that He never leaves us. I want to encourage you to spend time in prayer with God. Read His Word. Listen to His voice and wait on Him. Trust Him to renew your strength and give you His peace.

That’s why we are inviting everyone who wishes in the entire Upper Columbia Conference and beyond to join us for Vertical: 31 Days of Prayer for Renewal beginning January 1, 2023. We invite you to pray that God will pour out His Holy Spirit among us and give us a vision for how to reach men, women, boys, and girls for His kingdom – but this can only be fulfilled through renewed hearts.

Yes, watching and waiting are difficult. However, that’s how we can experience renewal. So, as we begin 2023, it is my prayer that you will join us for Vertical: 31 Days of Prayer asking God to renew your heart! May God richly bless you and your fam-ily this Christmas, and as you turn the page of your calendar to January 1, 2023 please join us in waiting and watching for the greatest day of all — the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

David Jamieson

President, Upper Columbia Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

I wanted to share what happened at our recent executive committee in my President's Report with you, along with how God continues to bless in our Conference. We prepared the report as a pdf that will allow you to share it with your church, school, or friends easily. You can view my report by going to news.uccsda.org/president1222.