Waiting

July 15, 2021

“I waited patiently for the Lord; 

And He inclined to me, 

And heard my cry. 

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, 

Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, 

And established my steps. 

I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly; 

Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know.”

—Psalm 40:1-2, 9 

Patient waiting is not one of my strong suits. As I get out of my car and walk into Tim Horton’s for a cup of coffee, I am amazed at the line of cars at the drive-in window. I refuse to wait in line when I can get quicker service inside. Had I joined the military years ago, I think I would have starved. Waiting in line for mess would have messed with my mind. 

And yet…waiting is honored throughout Scripture. Abraham waited 15 years for the son he was promised. Moses waited 40 years before he discovered his calling, and 40 days on the mountain of God to receive the Ten Commandments. David waited for years between the time he was anointed and crowned king. Elijah withdrew into the desert, Jesus fasted 40 days and nights in the wilderness, Paul hid away for three years in Arabia so he could be taught by the Holy Spirit, and John was in exile on Patmos when he received the Revelation. 

In this psalm, only after waiting was David able to proclaim in the great congregation the glory of the Lord because it was in the waiting that God’s glory was revealed to him. I suspect there are more than a few preachers and teachers whose message would change dramatically if they spent more time waiting and less time promoting. 

Waiting is not the same as withdrawing. There are times I would like to withdraw from all the drama that swirls in our culture and simply hide away in my own little world, but were I to do so, I wouldn’t be waiting on God. Withdrawing into oneself is never a good place to hear from God. And waiting is not inactivity. A waitress who is doing her job is quite busy attending to the customer. Waiting on God is similar; we expend a great deal of energy paying attention to our Creator and Redeemer.

As I said, I am not good at waiting, so I pray, “Lord Jesus, you asked your disciples in the garden if they couldn’t wait with you for a single hour. I’m afraid I’m one of your sleeping saints. Forgive my impatience, my un readiness to keep waiting no matter how long your answer is in coming. Teach me to wait instead of withdrawing; to wait in your holy presence so I will be able to praise you in the great congregation.”