Whether we are ready to admit it or not, waiting is never something that we would naturally enjoy. The patience level can vary amongst people but patience is never really something that we incline to naturally.
Relative to other people I know, I find myself to be quite a patient person. But last week, my patience was put to the test when I had to line up for two hours in a bank queue only to have my transaction cancelled because of an error. At that moment I did not feel very patient.
Why is waiting something that we as people are never really any good at? At the heart of waiting is the core issue that we are not in control, and that's what we hate most. We aren't in control of time, of the efforts and results of other factors or people, of natural and unnatural occurrences and many other things. We just aren't as powerful and in control as we think we are, and that gets on our nerves.
We love being in control. Sometimes we can even go as far as to sacrifice God's control over situations just so that we have control over them. We would rather want things our way than have it God's way. But the Bible reminds us in Psalm 18:30: "This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him."
Sure we may have our own effective and more convenient ways, but they are never perfect. God's ways however are. They don't always make sense at the moment, but at one point or another it will always makes sense.
Waiting is never easy, and it's never something that we naturally incline to. Isaiah 40:31 however promises us this: "But they 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." Even in the midst of unnatural and difficult times of waiting, it's not about our strength. It's about God's grace being sufficient for us even when we are too impatient and too stubborn to have things His way.
Abraham and Sarah blew it when they tried to have things their way and get God's promise through Hagar. What kind of a wife would tell her husband to have an affair and what kind of man would listen to such a suggestion? But even in that, God was faithful and restored both Abraham and Sarah and brought them back on track to God's will being fulfilled.
Our purpose and favour lies not in our patience, but on God's grace, which works even in our impatience, but also works deep in our hearts to remove anxiety and impatience and replace them with faith and trust in God.
