How Long Must I Wait?
Reflective Reading: Psalm 37
How long are you willing to wait for God’s promises?
You may remember times when you were impatient with God. We tend to resist anything that causes us to wait. This is especially true today, for we have been accustomed to instant gratification.
I will always remember the advice of a seminary professor who said to me as I sat in his office, exhausted, stressed, and overloaded because I was trying to complete two degrees in three years, “Mark, God isn’t in a hurry; why are you?” Patience is a virtue that doesn’t come easy for me, but then again, if it did, it wouldn’t be a virtue.
It didn’t come easy for Abraham either, as we see in Genesis 12-20. Discouraged, frustrated, and impatient, Abraham did what I have a tendency to do: take matters into his own hands and make unwise decisions because he thinks that time is running out. Abraham’s impatience created havoc in his marriage and family. These same conflicts continue to this very day, as seen in the Jewish nation.
We can always count on God’s promises. However, oftentimes we cannot wait for His promises to be fulfilled in his timing (Ecclesiastes 3:11). As a result, our impatience discolors the beauty of God’s promised fulfillment. I could write an extensive list of what our impatience could produce, but I’m sure our imagination can paint a pretty vivid picture on its own.
In the case of Abraham, God kept his promises, it just happened to take 24 years. So this begs the question: How long are we willing to wait for God’s answer? Of the 8,760 promises of God found in the Bible, which can we hold on to as we wait for God to bring it to pass?
King David waited approximately 20 years from the time he was promised to become king until the time he sat on the throne. It was from his pen that we read:
“Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:3-4).
There must be delight in the waiting. The word delight carries the idea in Hebrew of being soft, pliable, delicate, and luxurious. It also represents something that brings exquisite delight. Consider compressed sheets of gold foils that are embossed into leather books, woven upon picture frames, crafted into wooden furniture, or even placed delicately on extravagant desserts. Perhaps you’ve seen beautiful antique furniture with gorgeous inlays and veneers with their variety of wood types. The thinner the gold, the more pliable and useable the material.
This is the idea behind those who “delight” themselves in the LORD. As we wait patiently for his promises to give us the desires of our heart, he is making us more pliable for his greater use and His and our greater glory.
“Commit your way unto the LORD; trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass…”(Psalm 37:5).
“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him…”(37:7).
LORD, please teach us to be patient as we wait for your promises to be fulfilled!
Mark Hamby
M.S., M. Div., Th. M., D. Min.
Having trouble waiting on God? Listen to our new musical drama, Hungering and Thirsting and be inspired as you learn that God is good—all the time!
