The Long Awaited One

By Doma ©12/04/13

As you hear the strains of “Come Thou Long-expected Savior”, you caress your swollen abdomen. You recall another girl of long ago blooming large with child. You cannot imagine that donkey ride over barren, rocky ground, her husband plodding by her side and her patiently asking, “Are we almost there yet?”

No mother or midwife attending her that night, nor family surrounding her in her own familiar home. No woman coaching her as to how to proceed. There is only the drafty stable with a feeding trough to lay her precious child in. Only her husband’s willing and gentle hands wiping the sweat from her damp brow.

Thank Yahweh for the time spent with Elizabeth! Following her dear cousin’s directions, the girl brought swaddling clothes for the child. Elizabeth’s words still resound in her mind as she recalls the way her cousin’s own babe leaped in the womb when she entered the room. She again feels the thrill of the memory of seeing the angel and the awe of all that is happening even now.

The night is fair and bright with stars. A warm breeze carries the scent of animals, sweet hay and straw. As the pain increases in intensity, the time of birth is arriving. A hush falls on the scene and the fullness of time has come.

The long awaited One has come. God’s heavens resound with rejoicing and shepherds timidly approach with the news of angels’ words. You return from your reverie still pregnant with promise, but soon you feel the awe of that amazing night for yourself.