With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you—2 Peter 3:8-9
Waiting is hard at times, it can and will test our faith. It can also become more difficult in these challenging times to wait on God. Waiting can cause us to become impatient, discouraged, anxious, frustrated, concerned or worried. It can also bring out the worse in us. We can instead use this time as an opportunity to look around us to see where we can make a difference. Waiting can also be a great time to serve God by showing kindness, lending a helping hand, saying kind words of encouragement, sending a card, or by writing a letter.
Waiting is by far one of the hardest things to do, because we want everything to be fixed fast and to happen right away. That’s because we have become a people who have gotten use to modern technology, fast food and instant results. But there are some benefits while we are waiting. It can become a time to reflect, pray, or call someone to pray with them for example, and this will help us to take the focus off of ourselves. During this world crisis, while we are waiting for a cure, we can learn to trust God, and to remember that His time is not our time (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Because we have a God who understands what we are going through.
So while we are waiting for God in His ‘waiting’ room, we can also use that time to wait on God—in other words, to serve Him. In the Old Testament for example, even though Joseph suffered at the hands of his brothers and others, he trusted God during difficult circumstances, and waited on God by serving Him. Joseph went from the pit his own jealous brothers threw him into (Gen. 37), to the palace of Pharaoh. By serving God, he became the second most important man in Egypt (Gen. 41). Paul & Silas when arrested, beaten and imprisoned for causing a public disturbance, waited on God by praying and singing praises to God (Acts 16:1-34). Their example converted their jailer and his household.
So in these challenging times, it’s not about waiting (i.e. standing around doing nothing), but it’s more about waiting on God (by serving Him and doing His will). No matter what we are facing while waiting, remember the words of the Psalmist: “Wait I say, on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14.
Comments