Autumn is
hunting season in Michigan. For a few weeks every year, licensed hunters
are allowed to go out into the woods and hunt for various species of wildlife.
Some hunters build elaborate tree stands high above the ground where they sit
quietly for hours waiting for a deer to wander within rifle range.
When I
think of hunters who are so patient when it comes to waiting for deer, I think
of how impatient we can be when we have to wait for God. We often equate “wait”
with “waste.” If we’re waiting for something (or someone), we think we are
doing nothing, which, in an accomplishment-crazed culture, seems like a waste
of time.
But
waiting serves many purposes. In particular, it proves our faith. Those whose
faith is weak are often the first to give up waiting, while those with the
strongest faith are willing to wait indefinitely.
When we
read the Christmas story in Luke 2, we learn of two people who proved their
faith by their willingness to wait. Simeon and Anna waited long, but their time
wasn’t wasted; it put them in a place where they could witness the coming of
Messiah (vv.22-38).
Not
receiving an immediate answer to prayer is no reason to give up faith.
Waiting
for God is never a waste of time. (RBC)
