The Virtue of Waiting

 Life is full of delays, interruptions, obstacles, hindrances ….

Just when you think it is peaceful, an accident can happen and everything in life takes a new course. I remember many years ago, as I was stopping at a red-light traffic junction, a car suddenly knocked me from behind. It created a lot of hassle to get the car fixed, the inconveniences resulted in delays of work.

Or take the COVID-19 and its many variant – delta, omicron, …. (any Greek alphabet, you name it and it may soon be on the way), the whole world comes to a stand-still and is still testing everyone’s patience. The patience of slowing down in life, the patience of learning to wait and queue while getting into shopping malls, wet-markets; restaurants. Many are waiting to be able to move freely. The unknown of when all these will come to an end and we all be “free” is still … an unknown; really test our patience!

Then, last year October 2020, my wife suddenly broke her leg and a “peaceful” retirement plan is shelved and everything changed for 2021. Today, I got a text from her, after 13 months from that accident and she “proclaims” to have graduate soon from her physiotherapy! J)

13 months is a long time, especially when I do not know when this ordeal is going to end and life can be more relaxing. Yet, through it all, I learn PATIENCE, I learn to SERVE, I learn to accept what God has done to this family. The word WAIT has been my slogan each day as I go through the daily chores, routine, and some Bible Verses that link to this word WAIT has been my strength and comfort. Each time as I recite them in my mind, they build me up, for “YOUR Word is life”.

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:14)

 

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you;
    therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
    blessed are all those who wait for him. (Isaiah 30:18)

 

but those who wait for 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)

 

One thing that I learn as I wait, is that I am waiting for God to act in HIS timing. Waiting is hard. Waiting is the testing of my soul, to learn to be humble, endurance, patience, self-control and above all, submissive to God’s timing. Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God makes everything beautiful in His time. 13 months on, I am still learning and the soul find rest in God alone.

The Israelite too understood the trial of waiting as they wander in the wilderness for 40 years! They were led by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. They moved only when the cloud moved; and stayed put and wait when the cloud was stationary. Sometime it could be days, months or longer before they moved, not knowing where but just following. It too can be hard of them.

Here we read of the account (Num 9:17-23):

¹⁷ Whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, then the Israelites would set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the Israelites would camp. ¹⁸ At the command of the Lord the Israelites would set out, and at the command of the Lord they would camp. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they would remain in camp. ¹⁹ Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the Israelites would keep the charge of the Lord, and would not set out. ²⁰ Sometimes the cloud would remain a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they would remain in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they would set out. ²¹ Sometimes the cloud would remain from evening until morning; and when the cloud lifted in the morning, they would set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they would set out. ²² Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, resting upon it, the Israelites would remain in camp and would not set out; but when it lifted they would set out. ²³ At the command of the Lord they would camp, and at the command of the Lord they would set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses.

***

It seem that WAITING is one of God’s way of moulding and breaking us to transform into His likeness. He did that to the Israelite thousand years ago. He is still doing that today, at least to me. Is it to you also?

Do you encounter any interruptions, obstacles, hindrances each day that impede you from moving forward and force you to wait, back-track or pause? How do you feel?

Is waiting hard for you also?

Claim God’s word for yourself. Wait for the Lord!

Agape