Tired of Waiting

by Tom Gilbert
Published November 19, 2004

Are you one of those people who get very impatient when you have to wait? If you are, you have good company. Whether it’s waiting in line at the post office (“what do you mean I’m number 24?”), grocery store (“hey, that person has more than ten items!”) or in traffic (“C’mon, I should be home by now!”) I am convinced that many of us suffer from a lack of patience.

In our hurry-up-and-go world it can be very frustrating when we can’t go faster and do more. We’ve been trained to expect things fast. Travel by air, fax machines, instant email, fast food—the list is long. No wonder we’re so impatient.

It’s great to have some of these modern conveniences. Sometimes it can be more than convenient. Improved technology has made possible medical techniques that have saved countless lives. However, let’s face it: this “need for speed” has created plenty of problems in its wake.

Preparation Time

The Bible is full of stories about the many years God took preparing people for some incredible tasks. Abraham and Sara were long past childbearing age when God’s promise of a son for them came about. Joseph had to endure imprisonment before finding favor in Egypt, and then it was much later before his brothers traveled there looking for famine relief and eventually discovering the fate of the one they’d sold into slavery. Moses tended sheep for forty years before his call to return to Egypt and ask Pharaoh for deliverance of his people. Moreover, the Israelites wandered for another forty years before entering the Promised Land. These are just a few examples from the Old Testament.

Recall that Jesus started his ministry with forty days of fasting, prayer and temptation in the desert. That was after thirty years of non-public life. Clearly, God has reasons for His timing. We so often need preparation, but don’t realize it.

In our own lives, we may crave a greater relationship with God and as we spend days and nights in prayer there may come times of frustration or despair that God is not using us the way we think He should. We think we’re stuck in dead-end jobs or relationships and we wonder if God is even listening.

What is the design in the waiting? What can we learn from it?

Living in the Question

To answer the questions it helps to ponder some more. I understand this might be frustrating. You want answers. Sometimes it takes living in the question for a while to find those answers.

Ask yourself what you are waiting for. Is it a job? A cure? A greater purpose? Perhaps, the path you want to travel seems vague or even blocked. Maybe you have been given an answer you refuse to accept.

Furthermore, what are you doing while you wait? Do you just fret and simmer? Alternatively, are you depressed and resigned to an unpleasant outcome?

God knows us so well. He’s aware of all our short comings. He knows us better than we do. He is constantly at work in our lives. Do you think He may be preparing something greater for you that's impossible to do with your limited powers? Are you willing to wait patiently with faith and hope of a tremendous outcome? God wants good things for us. Sometimes that means getting a better job or relationship than we could have dreamed. Other times it may mean He’s leading us into new growth and what we get, on first glance, might seem to be wrong or too painful.

One thing I’ve experienced over and over again is that I can’t possibly see what’s best for me. Oh, I can put my imagination to work and I certainly can give you my opinion. Still, my way is often so inferior to what God orchestrates.

Changing Our Perspective

Once we put ourselves in the perspective of God’s will we suddenly recognize there is much more involved in the best outcome. Many other people are part of God’s plan and it takes time to get all of us to connect in ways that bring the plan to fruition. That’s not to say God can’t move things along faster. Sometimes He does. Surprising coincidences abound. What is more likely is that we are being steered in the right direction, then our self-will interferes, and we get off track again. That is not God’s fault.

Waiting on the Lord's instruction is important. Understanding when to pause and when to go is not always easy, but it is crucial. Fooling ourselves and delaying a commitment to God’s direction, love of others or doing the next right thing must be avoided. We cannot excuse ourselves from doing what we know is right. Time keeps on ticking and we have a responsibility to use it wisely. There come times in each of our lives when action is called for.

The most striking reason for delay may be to give glory to God. The followers of Jesus were quite upset that Jesus did not go to Lazarus before he died. They had come to expect the Lord would respond quickly and with another miraculous healing. However, Jesus tarried. It must have been terribly anguishing to Lazarus’ friends and family.
(John 11:5-6)

In the end, an awesome miracle happened when Jesus brought Lazarus back from death. Anyone would testify to the greater impact of that! A lesson learned from this is we can use our time to glorify God rather than to gratify our selfishness. The next time you feel frustrated while waiting, think of this and your weariness will melt away as you discover the joy of living each moment in gratitude for God’s constant love and goodness.

Hurry Up and Come, Lord!

We must avoid the subtle danger in wishing Jesus would hurry and come back and take all our troubles away. “End time watchers” and “Rapture-seekers” are in danger of obsessing and thus, failing to live in the here and now.

Furthermore, we should not turn our backs on the belief that Christ will indeed one day return. We must heed the warning in Matthew 24:48: " ‘But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,'". Failure to heed this message could result in our trying to control things or live life the way we want--selfish and rebellious. The end will still come and we will need to answer how we spent our time.

We should always remember that our understanding of "time" is a human interpretation. 2 Peter 3:8 tells us a heavenly interpretation of time is much different: "one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day". The next two verses show God's desire that we all should reach repentance, and yet, none of us know the timing of the "day of the Lord".

The next time you are stuck in a long line, or frustrated that your prayers have yet to be answered, try thanking God for your life and the opportunity to pause and appreciate it.

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