WAITING

Psalm 27:1

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord.

                This has been a season of waiting. We are all waiting for this current pandemic to be over. We are waiting for things to open up so that we can resume more normal life. In a more profound way, there are many who are waiting for significant social change, so that we will not go back to “normal.”

                Waiting is difficult for most of us. It seems like we are wasting time and accomplishing nothing. When I was in college, I had to read a play called Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett. It is the story of two men who are waiting for a third man, Godot, whom neither of them had ever met. Throughout the two-act play, they are encouraged to continue to wait, yet by the end of the play Godot never arrives.

                Many people have debated the identity of Godot. Beckett has contended that Godot is not a symbol for God, yet many people view it that way. The play seems to resonate with the experience that many people have. They are waiting for God to act, yet feel like He never shows up.

                This sentiment is a recurring theme in the Psalms. Asaph expressed his frustration of waiting for God in Psalm 73.

Psalm 73:1-3, 13-14

A psalm of Asaph.

Surely God is good to Israel,

to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;

I had nearly lost my foothold.

For I envied the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;

in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.

All day long I have been plagued;

I have been punished every morning.

                Asaph was in despair because it seemed to him that the wrong people were winning. Those who were trusting in God seemed to be getting the wrong end of the stick. God intervened and gave Asaph a glimpse of things from God’s perspective. He came to see that, although it seemed like the wicked were winning, in the end it is the righteous who truly win. So Asaph reaffirmed his willingness to wait for the Lord.

Psalm 73:28

But as for me, it is good to be near God.

I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;

I will tell of all your deeds.

                There are many reasons why God asks us to wait. Most often, during our time of waiting, it is hard for us to see why we have to wait. We become impatient and want to move on. But waiting is an essential part of God’s plan. Just as it takes time for fruit to ripen, so it takes time for God’s plans to be accomplished. We may not understand the reasons why we must wait, but if we will follow Asaph’s example and look at things from an eternal perspective, we will be able to have a positive attitude as we wait.

Hebrews 11:39-40

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.