Waiting seems to be a constant theme of the Bible. Learning to wait has something to teach us. We learn patience, we learn to rely on God's promises and His faithful word.
Some of those who waited on God were -
Joseph waited 13 years on God to end his unjust slavery and imprisonment.
Joseph's father, believed his son was dead for at least 27 years before learning that he was really alive.
Moses, in the land of the Midianites waited 40 years, until God revealed His plan to Him.
The children of Israel waited 430 years for their release from slavery.
The Israelites waited and wandered 40 years in the desert before finding the Promised Land.
The Jews waited in captivity for seventy years in Babylon until their return to Jerusalem.
The Jewish people waited from the prophecies of Isaiah for about 700 years until the arrival of the Messiah. (And then many did not accept Him.)
Jesus Himself waited 30 years before revealing Himself at the wedding feast.
Paul waited three years from the time of his conversion until his missionary journeys began.
Today we continue to wait for the return of Jesus to gather His beloved church to our Home with Him.
Everyone Waits
I am sure many of us have experienced times when we had to wait on God. When we are young, we sometimes wait for a long time to find a spouse. Some of us may wait many years to have children, or some of us wait for a break in our career so we can be "successful." When we are older, we wait to find healing for our aches and pains, we wait perhaps for grandchildren, or we may wait for our children and grandchildren to become Christians.
Many Despair While They Wait
Waiting leaves many people in deep despair. Patience is not a virtue that many of us have very much of. We see a couple of years go by and think something will never happen. We give up. We see life as it is in this moment and think it will always be this way. How easy it would have been for the Israelites in Egyptian slavery to believe it would always be that way. Can you imagine, 430 years had gone by before Moses, the deliverer, came on the scene?
God's Bigger Picture
Sometimes we will never see the end result of our waiting. God sees the bigger picture. He sees the ways that people's lives are interconnected, He sees the importance of things that we do not, He sees what needs to take place for people to become closer to Him. He sees what brings them to faith. Ultimately God knows what is good for us, even if it is difficult to accept.
The Value of Waiting
I think that if we were God, people would most likely be instantly gratified. But God sees the virtue, the value, of waiting where we do not. We become more grateful when we wait, we often see God's hand at work in our lives and those we love when we wait. We grow in patience when we wait. Patience is a fruit of the spirit working in our lives. Most importantly, we see the faithfulness of God and learn to trust Him. Even if we die before we see God's answer, if it is His will, we know it will happen. This brings joy.
Learning Our Lesson
And then of course, there are times when waiting is used by God to make us learn a lesson. God wants us to realize who is our true source of everything we have. The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years because that is how long it took to get them to see that God had been, and always would be, faithful to His word. Have we wandered in a desert of our own making, not realizing that God was trying to get our attention, trying to make us see what changes needed to be made in our lives?
Dealing With Waiting
David had experience with waiting. In Psalm 13:1 this is what he asks God,
"How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?"
Waiting was difficult even for someone like King David. And yet in the very same Psalm just a few verses later David reminds himself,
"But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me." Psalm 13:5-6
It can be hard to wait, but David rejoices in his salvation and sings to God because God has been gracious to him. Even the souls of the martyrs in Heaven cry out in Revelation 6:10,
“How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
In response they were told to "rest a little while longer" (Revelation 6:11). There is purpose in our waiting. God is not dismayed when we ask him "How long, O Lord?". He simply wants us to trust Him.
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