Waiting

I’ve been waiting for something for a couple weeks. Typing that so explicitly makes me feel like a wimp. Long story short, I was expecting to hear something twelve days ago, and each day that passes has been trying. 

I had a conversation with God the other day where I heard him say "wait patiently."

I said, "I am." 

Instead of words in reply, I sensed this face from him:

Like…"are you? I know you’re waiting, but are you waiting patiently?"

My Thing feels silly compared to some of life’s most excruciating waiting periods—for test results, for their last breath, to get pregnant, to meet the one, to grow up, to achieve. 

Still, we’re called to the fruits of the spirit whether our Thing is big or small or anything in between. 

It’s not a stretch to assume each person reading this is going through a Thing. Almost everybody is, almost always. 

So, reader, I ask you—are you waiting patiently, or are you just waiting? 

But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently. (Romans 8:25)

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. (Romans 12:12) 

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. (Psalm 37:7)

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (Philippians 4:6)

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. (Psalm 62:5)

Wait quietly. Wait patiently. Wait. 

Shut your mouth. Quiet your mind. Wait. 

It’s gonna take some brain re-wiring. We have become so trained to have everything fast—fast food, every movie and TV show and song in existence on demand, free 2-day shipping. And those things can be, in moderation, wonderful, convenient advances to our world. 

If you’re like me (and most people I’ve ever met) and you don't love to watch paint dry and grass grow, here are some things I think might help:

1. Fast from the things that have conditioned you to need to be fast (pun not intended). Fast from streaming services. Eat slow food. Go buy your stuff at Target, and smile at someone while you’re at it. I’m not sure the modern church is taking full advantage of the whole prayer and fasting thing the Bible so abundantly prompts us to do, but that’s another blog post for another day. It doesn't have to be forever, but try it for a couple weeks.

2. Ask Jesus for his help. In addition to the prayer for whatever specific outcome you’re wanting, ask for his peace in the meantime, for him to help increase your patience and understanding. Here are ten verses on his promise of his peace. 

3. Meditate in prayer. Yeah, this is kind of repetitive, but is prayer ever a bad suggestion? Practice gratitude. Thank God for 30 or 40 things. Thank him for this trial and how it’s teaching you to trust him deeper and lean on him harder. Meditate on his goodness and how he’s brought you through every big and little Thing so far (and then maybe it’ll be a little easier to remember he’s going to for this Thing, too). Don't underestimate the power of a few deep breaths.

May the Lord bless you and protect you and smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace (especially during this Thing you're going through).