Scripture's positive take.
“Wait” is a word that forces itself on me. I do not like it. It describes an action that I find hard to do and an attitude that I find hard to have. Perhaps you can relate.
In our daily lives, we wait for traffic signals that seem to stay red forever. Stores have fewer checkout lines open, causing longer wait times. We wait so long in the drive-thru at restaurants that we are tempted to stop calling it “fast food.” A friend of mine recently posted on her Facebook page that, while she understood that a doctor’s office might run a few minutes behind, a “regular pattern of making people wait 30-60 minutes is ridiculous.” If you have ever been caught in rush hour traffic, you know the pain of waiting. Ironically, in the fast pace of modern life we must learn to “hurry up and wait.”
I am in a season of waiting. I am waiting for direction from God as to my next step vocationally. The waiting has not been easy. My emotions have run the gamut from hope to despair. At times I have felt like Esau begging his father Isaac for a blessing (Genesis 27:38) but fearing that no blessing was forthcoming. This season has taught me the hard lesson that as we navigate life, while we are impatient for changes to come or opportunities to open, we must learn to wait.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary[1] gives several definitions for “wait.” As a verb, it can mean “to remain stationary in readiness or expectation,” or “to look forward or hold back expectantly.” It is interesting that “wait” is also used as a synonym for “serve” in the sense of being a “waiter” in a restaurant who “waits” on tables. As a noun, to “wait” is “a state or attitude of watchfulness and expectancy.” The dictionary definitions put a positive spin on waiting, emphasizing expectation and readiness and looking forward. Not how we usually think of waiting.
But waiting is a fact of life. Waiting is also a theme that runs through the Bible. I recently did a study to gain a biblical perspective on waiting and found that, in the New King James Version, there are 144 verses that contain the words wait, waited, or waiting: 113 in the Old Testament and 31 in the New Testament, from 36 of the Bible’s 66 books. I read where Jacob, at the end of his long life, looked back and declared, “I have waited for your salvation, O LORD” (Genesis 49:18). King David’s life experiences taught him to “Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the LORD!” (Psalm 27:14). God spoke through Isaiah to a defeated and dispersed Israel, reminding them that “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). It was only after the apostles and disciples of Jesus obeyed His command to “wait for the Promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4) that the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost. The apostle Paul taught the Romans that waiting with perseverance is an integral part of discipleship (Romans 8:25). Rather than the dim view of waiting I normally have, the Bible has a positive view of waiting, like the dictionary definitions that speak of watchfulness and expectation. From Scripture I learned that waiting is a discipline that every disciple must learn. God is at work in our waiting.
One of the early Maranatha! Music praise choruses expresses the perspective of Scripture on waiting.
We must wait, wait, wait on the Lord.
We must wait, wait, wait on the Lord.
Learn our lessons well; in His timing He will tell us
What to do, where to go, what to say.[2]
When I was a child, a local radio station had an agricultural report early each morning. The county farm agent who gave the report always closed with these words: “He who plants the seed beneath the sod and waits for it to raise the clod, he trusts in God.” This man understood biblical waiting. As James wrote, “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rains” (James 5:7). In this season of waiting, God is helping me learn that “the LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD” (Lamentations 3:25-26).
“Dear God, thank you for your promises, for reminding me that my value and my potential are not determined by the world’s standards, but by You. Help me to trust in Your perfect timing and remind me that even if I feel small or insignificant, I am part of Your mighty plan. Let me find peace in the unknown and joy in the journey. Remind me that You are making everything beautiful in its time, even when I cannot see it. Let my heart remain steadfast in You, knowing that You are good, and Your plans for me are good. Guide me today as I step into the roles You have designed for me, trusting that You are transforming me and using me for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”[3]
[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wait
[2] Randy Thomas © 1979 CCCM Music; Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing
[3] www.ourdailyverse.com