Much has been said about our culture’s obsession with instant gratification. We are used to having things quickly. Thanks to Amazon, it seems we can get almost anything we want delivered within a few days. Book, music, and movies can be downloaded to our devices almost instantly. Within a minute or two, we can cook a complete meal in the microwave oven and with a few more minutes, we can have our favorite restaurant drop a prepared meal off at our doorstep. From the vantage point of history, we rarely have to wait long for what we desire, especially when compared to the months of work and toil that our ancestors had to plod through just to get their most basic needs met.
It is perhaps unsurprising then, that we seem to have a patience problem. If we are used to getting what we want in record speed, we are more likely to be frustrated when someone seems to delay the satisfaction of our desires. This may manifest itself in irritation with another driver who goes just a little two slowly for our taste, or disdain for the cashier whose mistakes prevent us from breezing through our errands. We are quick to demand that our needs be met on our timetable; we seemingly can’t be bothered to wait for anyone or anything.
However, despite our focus on immediacy, there will be times in our lives where we will have to wait. Some things can’t be rushed, no matter how much we try. We may be waiting for the outcome of a medical procedure, or God to provide our next place of employment; we may be waiting for the relationship with our adult child to be restored, or for a beloved friend to come to saving knowledge of Christ. It may that we are waiting for the day when our physical pain will be relieved or the day that our broken heart will once again feel whole. Whatever the specifics of the situation, all of us can anticipate that at some point, no matter how much we may not want to, we will have to wait.
Amidst these difficult circumstances, it is important that we wait well. As Christians, it is easy to tell ourselves that we are waiting on God as we face pain and challenges. However, if we are not careful, what we are really waiting on is for things to be different than they are. Instead of waiting on God, we are passing time until He changes our circumstances. We know this is the case when our peace, confidence, solace, and refuge are not in the One who is the same yesterday, today and forever, but instead, our hope is the joy we anticipate when the road we walk is a little less bumpy, and the hills we climb a little less steep. Of course, for the child of God, there is a day when all will be made right and everlasting joy will be ours forever, but this time is not a day that we will see on Earth. If we are waiting on God, we will find our satisfaction and contentment in Him even if our circumstances never change. Waiting well means that if our situation stays the same or it does not, we are quick to proclaim His mercies and to trust in His goodness, confident that God’s good plan is at work in our lives. Waiting well means our strength is renewed in Him; that His kindness and His graces propel us forward, even when our pain attempts to compel us to quit.
For all of us, there are times where we be forced to wait; there will be situations where a change in circumstance is not contingent upon us. In those moments, and in all the other ones, may we wait well. May we cling to God’s character rather than being consumed by our circumstances. May we hold fast to His promises, knowing that He will complete the good work He has begun (Phil. 1:6) Instead of just waiting for what we want, but we wait on the One who withholds no good thing from His faithful kids (Ps. 84:11), knowing that as we do so, even our waiting can honor God.
…but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:31
