Children want things now: “But I want dessert now!” “Are we there yet?”
“Now can we open our presents?” In contrast, as we get older we learn to wait.
Medical students wait through training. Parents wait in hopes that the prodigal
will return. We wait for what is worth waiting for, and in the process we learn
patience.
God, who is timeless, requires of us a mature faith that may involve
delays that seem like trials. Patience is one sign of that maturity, a quality
that can develop only through the passing of time.
Many prayers in the Bible come out of the act of waiting. Jacob waited 7
years for a wife and then worked 7 more after being tricked by her father (Gen. 29:15-20).
The Israelites waited 4 centuries for deliverance; Moses waited 4 decades for
the call to lead them, then 4 more decades for a Promised Land he would not
enter.
“My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning,”
wrote the psalmist (Ps. 130:6 NIV). The picture comes to mind of a watchman
counting the minutes for his shift to be over.
I pray for the patience to endure times of trial, to keep anticipating,
keep hoping, keep believing. I pray for patience to be patient.
God seldom does great things in a hurry. (RBC)
