The Watchman's Diary

“But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint”

(Isaiah 40:31)

Waiting is not one of my strengths! I’ve been both complimented for my patience and criticized for my impatience. I suppose it depends on the circumstance and the person complimenting my patience. Acknowledging my impatience doesn’t, however, make it easier for me to practice patience. One moment I feel perfectly at ease, the next I feel riddled with anxiety about the same matter. I feel confident assuming that I am not the only one struggling with this. So, why are we so impatient and why do we so easily go from feeling peace to being anxious about the same matter?

“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalms 37:7a).

There is of course, the fallen human reality of our existence. We are imperfect beings and so we cannot perfectly wait for anything. We have strategically concealed our impatience in the word efficiency—not that there is anything wrong with efficiency, but efficiency often derails patience. However, I want to focus on the spiritual aspect of patience, especially waiting for the will of God to take shape in our lives. 

It is hard enough to wait for what we can see—like the food being prepared, the bus two blocks away, or the commercial that just interrupted our television program. This is not a new problem. Esau gave away his birthright because he was hungry and unwilling to wait for a hot meal. Waiting for the unseen, by faith, can be even more challenging. And yes, the devil (Lucifer/Satan) does exist, and the unseen demonic world is also at work to derail God’s plan for our lives! 

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

We have God’s promise never to leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 4:31; 31:6,8). His promise to us is to work all thing for good, for those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Roman 8:28). God’s great promise is that those “those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth” (Psalms 37:9). Talk about being patient. This is not something we can put on our calendars! The ultimate inheritance of the saints is the world itself; just like it was at creation, with Jesus (Yeshua) our Messiah dwelling and ruling from the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9-27). 

Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you for the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him (Isaiah 30:18).

We are not waiting by ourselves. God is not sitting in heaven shaking His head at our impatience or mocking our eagerness. He is also waiting with us! He is like a father who patiently waits for his toddler, gently guiding their feet as they learn to walk, their hands as the learn to write, and repeating a word to them until they have mastered it. God takes us by the hand and leads us along the paths of righteousness, all the while waiting for us to walk independently in the ways He has taught us. But like a loving father, He will let go to test our ability to walk independently. God patiently waits for, and with us. He never turns from the path and never leaves the place of culmination. We are the ones who turn, who move from that place where all things come together. We do not wait patiently upon the Lord and miss His appointments.

So let us wait patiently for the Lord and encourage each other in this. It is good to develop loving relationships with God-fearing friends who will hear us out when we are anxious and point us back to the promises of God in his Word. Stand strong, stand together, stand in the strength of the Lord!

“The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD” (Lamentation 3:25,26).