How Do You Wait?

“How do we get to the morning, to the sunshine, to the joy? There is only one way - by waiting for it. We can’t hurry the dawn no matter how anxiously we pace the floor or how impatiently we watch the clock. And so the question is not do we wait or not wait, because waiting is all we can do. The question is, “How will we wait? Will we wait well…or will we wait poorly?” – Ken Gire, The North Face of God

Waiting for something has been a common thread throughout the course of the Bible and throughout the course of mankind. Abraham and Sarah waited for a baby most of their adult lives and finally received their blessing very late in life. David waited for over 20 years for his promise of becoming king. My grandmother waited for over 50 years for God to fulfill His promise to her of publishing her journals into a book and I waited for over 8 years for my prodigal to return home.

We are guaranteed to wait on many things throughout the course of our lives which brings me to Ken Gire’s question – How will we wait? When we are waiting for the results from a medical procedure, will we wait with peace and trust in God? (“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope” Ps. 130:5). When we wait for our prodigal child or spouse to return home will we wait with forgiveness and love? (“Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins… Ps. 103:2). When we wait for the grief that overcomes us to pass through will we wait with faith in our Savior’s presence? (We wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” Titus 2:13)

There have been times in my life when I waited poorly, waited without peace and faith in a better day. My wait was defined with the aimless attempts of fixing a situation instead of trusting that God had authority over the circumstances. There have been other times when my wait was anchored in Him and the burden was not on my shoulders but on His. The difference between waiting poorly or waiting well lies in the depth of relationship and fellowship we experience with Christ. Through Christ we access the ability to peacefully wait and to know that at the end of the wait come the rescue, the Savior and life once again becomes complete. (“But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” Micah 7:7)