Waiting. Americans hate it. We want what we want, and we want it now. We developed elaborate technologies so we can do everything faster. Cell phones, the Internet and fax machines allow us to communicate instantly with people around the country and around the world. Computers grow faster at a geometric rate, so we can all finish our work faster. We enjoy fast food, instant coffee, microwaves, and quickie divorces. Email is replacing snail mail, and delivery services promise we’ll have our packages the very next day, if not sooner.

I’ve waited for things to happen for most of my life. Since I don’t drive, I have to wait on rides to almost everywhere I need to go, if I can’t get there on my own two legs. I waited until I was past thirty to get married, own a car, buy a house, and have a child. For most of the past thirty years I’ve waited for some clear guidance from the Lord about going into ministry. My life verse for the past 21 years has been Psalm 27:14, and I haven’t always waited graciously.

The Bible tells many stories about waiting, and about failing to wait. Abraham tired of waiting for God to give him a son through Sara, so he had one by Hagar, the slave girl. The son of that union was Ishmael, the father of the Arab peoples, and the final result was a conflict which has endured for thousands of years. King Saul tired of waiting for Samuel to show up to perform a sacrifice before a battle, so he did it himself. As a result, he lost his kingdom. Israel waited for hundreds of years for a Messiah, and when he finally came, rejected him. Sometimes when we wait, we’re waiting for something other than what the Lord sends us; that’s what happened to the Jews.

On the other hand, Jacob, for all of his trickery, willingly waited through seven years of hard work to gain Rachel, and when he got Leah instead, consented to work seven years more. Simeon waited a lifetime to see the promised messiah, as did Anna. Paul waited in prison for years under Felix and Festus so that he might fulfill his goal of going to Rome. And, to this very day, Jesus waits patiently for the word from his Father to bring his children home. Are you ready?

Waiting can exhaust our patience. It can bring discouragement and despair, frustration and anger. It can also result in a quiet, steady patience, and unshakable trust in God’s provision. Waiting without doing is deadly; whatever we’re waiting for, we should do it actively. If the Lord gives us time before something happens, then we should take advantage of it. Depending on where we are, and what the circumstances are, we can pray, read, sing, or fellowship with other people. Never let yourself sit, or stand, or walk, for long periods without something to occupy your mind and attention. I say this from my own experience. Plan to do something with the time the Lord has given you; every minute of it is precious. None of us knows how much we are allotted.

“Wait on the Lord” doesn’t mean just to idle away the time until he decides to do something. “Wait” in this sense means to attend to, like waiting on tables. It is no accident that the word “wait” has these two meanings, to pass time and to serve. Both meanings go together; while we wait on the Lord, we should be serving him.

Among other things the Lord has shown me recently is that my own lifetime of waiting has left a lot of scars. I have often waited in anger, or frustration, instead of with patience. Many times it seemed that waiting was all I ever got done. Make good use of your own times of waiting; the lessons I learned came at a heavy cost.

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