Most of us know what it feels like to be here while longing desperately to be there — stuck in a job, a season, or a place in life that doesn’t fit who we feel called to be. In tonight's prayer and devotional, Amber Ginter shares honestly about her own season of confusion and restlessness. For five years, she worked in a career that didn’t align with the deeper calling she sensed God placed within her. Every day felt like tension between where she was and where she longed to go.

Underneath that tension was something many of us avoid naming:
We hate waiting.
We resist slow seasons.
We fear stillness.
We rush through discomfort because silence exposes our anxieties.

But Scripture calls us into a different posture.
Psalm 37:7 invites us to “be still” — not as a forced passivity, but as an intentional trust that God is working even when we cannot see it.

Stillness is not inactivity; it is surrender.
It is the humble acknowledgement that God knows what we cannot and sees what we do not.

As fall leans into winter and Advent draws near, Amber reminds us that this is a season designed for holy stillness. Advent isn’t just a countdown to Christmas — it is an invitation to slow our pace, to release our timelines, to surrender our expectations and hopes, and to sit quietly before a God whose plans exceed our striving.

This is a season where hope whispers instead of shouts. A season where God invites us into a deeper kind of trust:
Silent hope.
Hope that doesn’t demand immediate answers.
Hope that rests in God's character rather than in visible progress.
Hope that grows in the quiet places of waiting.

Stillness may feel uncomfortable, but it is in stillness that we hear Him most clearly.
It is in quiet that hope is born.
It is in waiting that faith deepens.

This Advent, before we prepare our homes, we prepare our hearts — slowing down enough to notice His presence, to breathe His peace, and to wait with expectation for the One who came quietly in the night to bring eternal hope.

TONIGHT'S SCRIPTURE:

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him.”
— Psalm 37:7

MAIN TAKEAWAYS

• Waiting requires stillness — and stillness requires surrender.

• God works most powerfully in the seasons that feel slow, silent, and uncertain.

• Advent invites us to embrace a holy pause, trading our timeline for His wisdom.

• Stillness is not about control; it’s about leaning into the sovereignty of God.

• Silent hope grows when we rest, listen, and wait on Him.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

• Psalm 37:7

• Psalm 46:10

• Isaiah 40:31

YOUR EVENING PRAYER

Dear Jesus,
Resting, waiting, and pausing do not come easily in a world full of noise and pressure. Silent hope often slips through our fingers as fear and hurry take over. But as Advent approaches, prepare our hearts the way You prepared the world for Your quiet arrival. Teach us to be still before You — to pause, listen, and obey. Quiet our minds, steady our hearts, and anchor our hope in Your perfect timing. We love, praise, and thank You, Jesus.
Amen.

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

1. Read and memorize Psalm 37:7.
   Share it with someone who needs encouragement in a season of waiting.

2. Choose an Advent tradition
   that intentionally creates room for stillness, reflection, and quiet time with the Lord.

3. Talk about your struggle with waiting.
   Share honestly with a trusted friend or mentor and invite accountability as you learn to be still before God.

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