Do you have difficulty waiting on things, on people and on God? Well, you are not alone. Many people do. In fact, everyone of us, at some juncture of our lives, had to wait and will have to learn to wait. Waiting is hard because we usually want what we are wanting right now.
Ours is a society that has grown accustomed to immediate gratification. Modern technology and all the conveniences – telephones, refrigerators, microwaves, fast foods, airplanes, etc. – are readily available. We have many things immediately at our fingertips. So when we cannot get what we are wanting, waiting seems to be an exercise in futility and frustration. The longer we have to wait, the harder it becomes.
Think on some of the many times when you had to wait: in the long line at the bank, the crowded emergency room at the hospital, the waiting room at the dentist or the doctor’s office, for the traffic light to turn green, on food to arrive at a restaurant, the many months before giving birth or on unanswered prayers. Waiting is hard especially when there is nothing we can do to help or change the situation, and when we do not know what the outcome will be. We like to be able to control things or, at the very least influence the outcome of things, but there are times when that option is taken away from us and all we can do is wait!
Whether we like waiting or not, it is a part of life. We may never get accustomed to it, but we have to accept it. We must learn to understand that not everything we want can be instant. Habakkuk, the prophet, knew that all too well. He prayed to God but was not receiving an answer. He was attentive to what was going on around him. Despite his prayers, he saw violence, injustice and wrongdoing everywhere. God’s law appeared to be helpless. It did not seem to work, and the wrongdoers he thought had gotten the upper hand. He became increasingly distressed and finally cried out to God: “How long, O Lord, must I call for help?” He grew tired of waiting.
There are also other stories of people who had to wait as well. Here are a few of them:
? Joseph waited in the Egyptian prison
? Noah waited for the flood to come
? Moses waited to see the Promised Land
? Jonah waited in the belly of the whale
? Daniel waited in the Lion’s Den
? Israel waited on the coming of the Messiah
? The disciples waited on the Holy Spirit, and
? Paul and Silas waited in the Philippian jail
You see, waiting is hard but, in the biblical context, it serves some very useful purposes:
1. Waiting builds our maturity. It stretches our faith and helps us to see our faith at work. When we wait on God to move or to deliver, it helps us to gain a new level of trust in Him. Waiting helps us to grow in ways that nothing else could do. Our spiritual life is a series of moments when we come to know God on a deeper level.
2. Waiting develops our patience. It helps us to appreciate the value of depending on God and trusting him to work things out for our good.
3. Waiting develops hope. Hope gives us a new focus that allows us to keep looking to God and looking forward to his promises. Waiting means that things may not always make sense. We may not understand why God makes us wait or why He does not move faster. We only see what is in front of us but when we are willing to wait, it opens new horizons of hope and faith.
4. Waiting is part of God’s timing. He does everything on His time table, not ours. Our timing on God and His actual timing may be radically different. God is always right on time because His timing is perfect.
5. Waiting gives us time to learn and to listen. Waiting is not just something we have to do while we get what we want. Waiting is the process of becoming what God wants us to be. What God does in us while we wait is as important as what it is we are waiting for. Some things are best waited on. Sometimes waiting can be a blessing in disguise.
Remember: You usually have to wait for that which is worth waiting for.
NB. Before I close this week’s article, I must express thanks and appreciation to the reader in Nigeria who found a Positive article published in a recent online edition of The Anguillian newspaper to be a source of much comfort and inspiration, and took the time to make contact with me. I pray God’s richest blessings on him and his family.
About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in the Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volume 2. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. www.facebook.com/axawellnesscentre
