Why do we struggle so much in the waiting?
Waiting in traffic gets the best of us. (Some shouldn’t be sticking the fish on the back of their car after-all). Waiting for test results is ulcer-provoking. Waiting for a file download on slow internet outrages us. Waiting for a wedding band can get weary. Waiting for unanswered prayers discourages us.
We might blame our lack of patience on the fast-pacing technology that caters to our craving to have it all here and now within reach of a finger tap.
Do I dare point out that waiting was a struggle of those from ancient of days too?
Abraham, Sarah, Shechem, Job’s wife, Aaron and the Israelites, Saul… none of them were nose-diving into their high-tech phones as they failed to wait upon the Lord.
The struggle to wait seems to be an intergenerational, and intercultural problem.
Waiting in suffering.
“There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.” Job 1
In one day he loses his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his camels, his servants, his children. Then he loses his health, dealing with a severe skin infection from head to toe.
The end result? Job continues to maintain his complete integrity praising God and acknowledging that He gives and He takes away.
Job’s wife, on the other hand, is tired of the wait in the season of pain, and encourages her husband to sin “Curse God and die.” Job confronts her sinful attitude and calls her ‘foolish’. “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?…” Job 2:9
Neither one of them had any idea of God’s restoration plan at the end of the tunnel. Yet, they responded completely differently.
“So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. “Job 42
Maybe you find yourself smack in the middle of a frightening health crisis. Maybe you’re transitioning from a significant season to another one. Maybe you’re dealing with depression. Maybe you feel downright lonely, scared, confused, or discouraged.
Remember that God loves to write restoration stories. Although we may not know what awaits us at the end of our tunnel, trust that God knows. Stay patient a little longer in your trial. “but 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.” Isaiah 40:31
Waiting doesn’t waste our time. Waiting gains our godliness.
Waiting doesn’t make us weaker. Waiting builds our endurance.
Waiting doesn’t promote doubt. Waiting boosts our faith.
Stay still. Wait well. Live a holy life.
God shall renew the strength of those who wait well.
Read & Meditate: 2 Corinthians 4:7-10
“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.”