“Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God is’t late with His promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining Himself on account of you, holding back the End because He doesn’t want anyone lost He’s giving everyone space and time to change.” (2 Peter 3:8-9 MSG)
A friend wrote it in a Facebook response yesterday: “I’m beginning to think God’s favorite word is “wait” – especially when we want to say “Let’s hurry.” How exactly my friend became so wise, I’m not sure. She’s the quiet, gentile type; deep waters flowing under a smooth surface. Her private life could be in pieces and most would never know. She is steady and classy and kind and walks close with God. Her typeset words hit me square between the eyes, only because I’ve been afforded the tiniest glimpse of her personal adversity.
“Wait” is often times the word we don’t want to hear, especially from the One who could seemingly eliminate it altogether. Yet He says it often. “Wait” when we wander in darkness of infertility or after miscarriage. “Wait” when we’ve discovered betrayal of trust or begin to make our way down the rocky road of recovery. “Wait” when we are praying for a loved one to come back to the Lord. “Wait” when the doctor shares a diagnosis. “Wait” when the we’ve felt the season change internally but the exterior of our lives remains the same. “Wait” is the word to the momma when her toddlers are throwing tantrums or her teenagers have thrust into rebellion. “Wait” whispered to the farmers when the fields are too wet to plant and then again in the fall when the skies are too heavy to harvest. “Wait” is the commandment between Bride and Intended. “Wait” is the instruction between quenching desire and acquiring debt. Yes, my wise friend is right, “Wait” seems to be the Father’s favorite word.
We can’t afford to forget that God isn’t making us wait because He’s unwilling to help us or because He lacks the resources to resolve our issue. No, God’s “wait” is far more purposeful than that. He allows us to wait because waiting changes something in us. Because the change we experience here and now, in the frailty of this life, will profoundly affect the life to come.
“Wait” might be years here, but mere moments in the vast expanse of eternity. Our life on earth is a blip, a breath, the slimmest snapshot of the things to come. Whatever we endure here will be made worthwhile there. We just have to “wait” and see.
“Wait” isn’t our God isn’t dragging His feet. He’s giving us time. He’s not hard-strapped in to linear minutes, hours and days as we are. He sees backwards and forwards and in His sovereignty, He knows how to assemble all the days (yours and mine and every soul who’s ever existed) in the most effective manner; giving us each maximum opportunity to respond to His love.
“Wait” is about so much more than us and God. It’s way bigger than our convenience, comfort or preference. “Wait” is about a lost and dying world. “Wait” is about the folks who watch us mark time and are consequently moved by our faithfulness. “Wait” is about the haves getting a good hard look at the have-nots and wondering what God had to do with that. “Wait” is the slowing of our souls so we can fully examine our relationship with the Giver of all good things. “Wait” accomplishes in the eternal the things that simply won’t flash in the pan and appear: perseverance, character, godliness.
“…patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary – we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 5:4-5 MSG)
“Wait” is the hot fire that forges us further into the image of our Father. “Wait” when done right, creates white-hot hope; full confidence that when God moves it will be the right move. “Wait” prepares the vessel of our lives to contain the fullness of whatever the Holy Spirit has for us next.
“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14 NLT)
“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:25-26 NIV)
O Lord, we don’t like waiting, not in the least. But today we’ve seen how You can use “wait” to shape us. Help us wait with purpose, bent on being further forged into Your image. May we trust Your sovereignty and Your perfect plan for each of us. May we learn to value the things You value over the creature comforts we crave. Remake us as we wait. Amen.