Waiting. I think it is the one thing that most of us do not do well or at least not without complaining. And if we do wait, it is simply because we have to. In South Africa, we need look no further than our loadshedding schedule, which provides many opportunities to exercise patience while we wait for the power to be restored. But even then, those of us who are appropriately resourced have found ways around the lack of power situation looking to alternative sources of power to meet our basic needs.
In this fast-paced modern life that many of us big city dwellers live, we have come to expect things to happen quickly, if not immediately. And when it doesn’t, we are likely to experience a range of emotions from discomfort to frustration and disappointment, even anger. But no matter where we live, so much of our lives can now be directed and lived out from our smart ‘phones that it has become easier to get things done without even leaving our homes or offices.
But sometimes, things just don’t go the way we want them to or even expect them to. No matter how well we plan. How well resourced we may be. How skilled we think we are … And we just have to wait.
But how should we wait? As believers, we are encouraged in the Scriptures to wait patiently on God and with expectation in our hearts. This is not a passive, stand-back-and-let-things-happen kind of waiting.
In one of the most familiar passages in Scripture, we read: “But those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint” — Isaiah 40:31.
In this passage, not only are we promised that we are not alone in our circumstances but also:
- Renewed strength to do what needs to be done no matter how big the task in front of us;
- The ability to “soar” above our situation and to see the bigger picture instead of becoming overwhelmed by its complexities; and
- The ability to move forward, to make progress no matter how slow or how small rather than to retreat or give up.
In God’s economy, waiting is not a waste of time or an exercise in futility. When we do it His way, it is an opportunity to learn and to grow, enabling us to achieve more than we could have dreamed of on our own.
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