Patiently Waiting

“Patience is a virtue,” is a saying that often grows old as we are desperately waiting for something. Every day we have the opportunity to practice patience. Every day we are forced to wait for something, whether that be a stop light, or waiting in line at Starbucks, every day we have the opportunity to practice patience.

In today’s society, patience isn’t the norm. We EXPECT to be served quickly and immediately, like we are entitled to be number one in everything. Having to wait is becoming less and less normal every day.

Yet, God calls us to wait. God calls us to be patient.

Psalm 37: 7, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.”

Be still. Stop what you are doing and wait for the Lord.

In the midst of our chaotic schedules, and “to do” lists, how often do we stop to wait for the Lord? How often do we stop to patiently wait for him? Whether it’s stopping to wait for his calling, his plans, his answered prayer, or even waiting for him to come back to the Earth, how often do you take time out of your day to wait for him?

We don’t plan to wait; we plan to go. We get frustrated when we get stuck in traffic, or when the line at Starbucks extends past the doors, because we are impatient people. We’ve been told all our lives that waiting, is inconvenient, when really a little patience, a little waiting will serve us well.

Throughout the Bible are hundreds of instances where men and women patiently waited for the Lord.

Sarah waited for the Lord to give her a son.

Noah waited for the Lord to seal the ark.

Joseph waited for the Lord as he sat in prison for a crime he did not commit.

Multiple people in the New Testament waited for Jesus to heal them.

We are waiting for the Lord to deliver us, to one day come back and save us.

The list could go on and on, but all the signs point to one thing: we should patiently wait. God promises us so much, and all he asks is that we will patiently wait. His timing is beyond perfect, so who are we to get frustrated when his timing isn’t the same as ours.

So together let’s be patient in waiting.

We can help one another through our waiting, by praying for patience. We can wait together as we anticipate a doctor’s diagnosis, or as we anxiously wait to feel God tug at our heartstrings. Whatever it is you are waiting for, do just that. Patiently wait, and consult God in prayer and petition. Who knows, maybe through it all, we can make it where patiently waiting becomes much more than a practice. It becomes a lifestyle.