You could pop your mug into the microwave oven and in two minutes have instant coffee to kickstart your morning. If you realize there’s a smudge on your shirt, your instant stain remover will have erased it in no time. And when you plop down in front of your computer to begin browsing, with the click of a button you can access an instant download to suit your needs.
From fast food and streaming services to instant messages and same-day delivery, society sweeps us away in its hurried hustle. Whether we like it or not, you and I live in an instant world!
Sometimes I get on a roll and don’t realize how impatient these petty luxuries have made me. If a web browser doesn’t load or a light doesn’t turn green, what’s taking so long?
When I slow down long enough to read my Bible, though, I encounter something different. God seems to think waiting is good for us.
“The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”
– Lamentations 3:25-26
Even more so, He commands us to it! Using the words of David, He urges us in the Psalms:
“Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” – 27:14
“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him … Wait for the LORD and keep His way” – Psalm 37:7, 34
Of course it is difficult, but never in vain. Isaiah 40:31 says that “They who wait for 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.”
What are we waiting for exactly? To put it simply, we are prayerfully expecting the Lord to act (Psalm 37:5). Perhaps it is like the times of Habakkuk.
“Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.” – 1:5
Indeed, Isaiah 64:4 affirms, “From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides You, who acts for those who wait for Him.”
God’s Provision: Sometimes we wait for vengeance (Proverbs 20:22), other times for provision (Psalm 145:15-16). We wait on the Lord for deliverance and help (Psalm 33:18-20), justice and mercy (Isaiah 30:18), steadfast love and redemption (Psalm 130:5-7).
Most of all, we wait for His coming! As the farmer awaits “the precious fruit of the earth,” so we establish our hearts for the day of the Lord (James 5:7-8).
The reward is always worth the wait!
Word of the Week: Long-suffering. God is exceedingly patient with us (2 Peter 3:9). We also can endure with tolerance and without complaint as He fulfills His plan for us.
Abby
