Do you struggle at times with waiting? We live in an instant society where some people think that instant gratification takes too long. Have you ever been at the grocery store and you count the people in each line? Then you make a quick mental evaluation how many items each person has and you evaluate the efficiency of the cashier. You go through all of these mental gymnastics because you don’t want to wait. We would rather take a detour and drive extra miles than wait in traffic.

King David of the Old Testament knew the frustration of waiting. He describes a dangerous situation he was facing in Psalm 27,

Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence. (Psalm 27:12)

David however, never lost sight of God’s faithfulness,

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13)

As we go through life there are plenty of challenges that can cause us despair. We may find that waiting can be frustrating because our timetable does not correspond with God’s timetable. I am learning that waiting is relative to the situation. As a young child it was difficult to wait for Christmas, the days seemed to drag on. As an adult the days before Christmas seem to fly by and it seems that I need an extra week to get ready. They say patience is a virtue – why can’t hurry-up be a virtue? Patience is the ability to have a good attitude while you’re waiting. See my blog post It Takes Time for a helpful perspective on patience. David gives us sound advice as we wait upon God for His answer,

Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.  (Psalm 27:14)

The word “wait” may also be translated to hope or expect. Perhaps you’re losing heart because you’ve been waiting a long time. David knew firsthand how to wait upon God. We read that he was anointed to be the next king of Israel as a teenager, perhaps around 15 years of age,

And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah. (1 Samuel 16:11-13)

For the next 15 years however, David spent most of his life on the run from a jealous king. David did not take circumstances into his own hands but he waited for God’s timing,

David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. (2 Samuel 5:4)

Don’t grow weary in waiting. Arnold Glasow tells us, “The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.” Believe in Isaiah’s promise that you will gain His strength,

Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:31)

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Chu,rch at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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