Hurry Up and Wait

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.

– Psalm 130:5

We live in a time called the Information Age. But it’s also the Era of Convenience marked by instant communications, DoorDash, apps, and microwave popcorn. And just about anything we want is just a screen-swipe or mouse-click away. But take another look and you'll discover that we're not always on the move. In fact, a 2022 OnePoll survey revealed that the average person loses 26 days each year doing nothing, and the biggest timewasters were waiting on hold on the phone, standing in line, and sitting in traffic.

It’s a rare soul these days who has the patience to wait. After all, multi-tasking — like texting while attending an office Zoom meeting — is a coveted life-skill. But patience doesn’t have to mean wasted time. In fact, the Bible tells us it’s one of the desired characteristics (a Fruit of the Spirit) that points to God’s work in our lives.

This concept might be difficult to grasp because the human viewpoint of time can oppose our Creator’s perspective. But it’s all very biblical. For example, Jesus waited about 30 years before he began his earthly ministry. And 40 years passed before Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt. As the Apostle Peter reminds us: 

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends, to the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day."

As Christ-followers, we must understand that what happens while we're waiting is often more important than what we're waiting for. Ask anyone who’s spent grueling hours at the hospital contemplating the health and future of a loved one. Did their soul-searching experience bring a closer dependence on God? It should have. After all, it's when we're so humbled and powerless that we realize we can do nothing on our own.

Developing the fruit of patience takes … patience! And it all starts with a sincere prayer for God’s help. Moreover, we need to be intentional about slowing down and detaching ourselves and our families from the world’s demands and urgencies. And as an extra step, we must establish accountability with other Christ-followers. If a trusted believer knows that you have trouble with patience, they can be there when you most need some perspective.

Patience — as the saying goes — is a virtue. And it’s no coincidence that counterintuitively, our non-stop, 24/7/365 world revolves around waiting. So, let's make the most of our time in God's Waiting Room — a place where we can look for ways and opportunities to say yes to him with a sense of expectancy and hope.

"Be still, and know that I am God," our Creator tells us through Psalm 46:10. "I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."