Have you ever felt that you have waited patiently long enough for God to take action? Or do you ever think that you need to do something in order for God’s plan to work? I’m noticing that there is a fine line between patience and impatience.
Patience means calm perseverance while impatience is the struggle to tolerate delays. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit. Impatience is not a character of Jesus. There are lots of stories of people in the Bible that were patient or impatient.
David is a good example of a person who waited patiently most of the time. He was anointed king when he was a young teenager and after over a decade of waiting, he could have killed King Saul in a cave but chose to wait on God’s timing to be king.
Abraham and Sarah waiting for a child is an example of impatience. They waited over a decade before deciding to help God keep His promise for Abraham to have a son. In that culture and time, one of their servants would be the heir since they didn’t have a child.
So what do we do while we wait? We don’t just twiddle our thumbs and do nothing. We continue doing what we need to do until the time comes when God fulfills His plan. We have the Holy Spirit to guide us as we wait patiently doing His will.
In David’s case, it seemed that God had given him an opportunity to kill Saul so that he could be king sooner than later. But David felt guilty for even tearing a part of the king’s robe because Saul was God’s anointed one. David did not want to rebel against God by harming the person that God had placed in authority even though Saul was trying to kill him.
In Abraham and Sarah’s case, they were both very old and Sarah had not conceived. So they got a surrogate mother which was not uncommon in those days. They focused more on themselves than on their mighty God.
Living with cancer, Scott has a lot of practice to wait patiently. Whenever he has a doctor’s appointment we sit in the waiting area for a room to be available. Then when a room is available, we still have to wait for the doctor to come in. Sometimes, there is a smaller waiting room where they take us after getting his vitals and a room is still not available.
I’ve observed that people wait in different ways. Most are on their phone, some chat, others sleep, eat, read, and one actually knitted in the waiting area. Scott is usually on his phone if he’s not chatting with me or the person near him.
The first time Scott found out he had cancer, he read about and studied the dark night of the soul by St. John of the Cross. It brought him closer to understanding his faith and relationship with God.
This time he is reading and studying about how to beat the rare cancer that is in his body. While he is waiting, he is keeping busy by doing things that will help him fight the cancer. Sometimes he gets frustrated because there is so much information out there but other times, he is thankful that there is information so that he can do something to help the treatment prescribed by a doctor.
God gave us a mind to gain knowledge and we need to use what we learn for good. There are food, herbs, and supplements that are useful for fighting cancer. God made our bodies and we need to do certain things to keep our bodies healthy and fit. While the treatment Scott is on is keeping the cancer stable, he wants a cure, not just to keep the cancer from growing.
With God’s help, that is what Scott is doing while he waits. What are you doing while you wait?
Prayer
Almighty God in heaven,
Thank You for being near when we are at our dark times. Help us to focus on You and not our situation. May we remember that You are at work even though we don’t see progress. You are a good God.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
Verses
1 Samuel 16:13 Samuel anointed David and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him
1 Samuel 24:3-7 David could have killed King Saul or allowed his men to kill the king but he didn’t
Genesis 15:2 Abram replied, “Lord, what good are you blessings when I don’t even have a son? Eliezer, a servant, will inherit my wealth
Genesis 16:1-4 Sarah did not bear children to Abraham so she gave her servant to have a child with Abraham
Romans 13:1 All authority comes from God, and those in position of authority are placed there by God
Hebrews 11:11 Even though Sarah was barren and Abraham was too old, he was given the ability to have a child
Ecclesiastes 11:6 Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another or maybe both
Isaiah 40:31 For those that wait on the Lord’s help find renewed strength, they rise as if on eagles’ wings, they run but not grow weary, walk but not get tired
Colossians 1:11 We pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have endurance and patience you need
2 Peter 1:5-8 Add to your faith goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love to everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you’ll be in your knowledge of Jesus
Song
“While I’m Waiting” by John Waller reminds me to keep moving ahead in confidence that God is faithful.
Call To Action
If you have already prayed, looked up the verses in your Bible, and listened to the suggested song, then read about what David did while waiting to be king of Israel in 1 Samuel 16-2 Samuel 5.