Sometimes God answers “yes,” sometimes “no,” and sometimes “wait.”
Anticipation. Waiting. Expecting. Hoping. Waiting some more.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” (Eccl. 3:1 NIV)
- Prophecies hundreds of years old telling of a coming Messiah.
- A couple eagerly awaiting the results of a pregnancy test.
- A man hoping and praying his job offer will come through today.
- A child waiting in line for lunch.
- A woman watching her elderly father’s life slowly wind down.
- A lonely person waiting for a friend to call.
In so many ways our lives are full of anticipation – sometimes with eagerness for wonderful things, sometimes with dread for hard things. Sometimes our anticipation is for a fairly short amount of time – seconds or minutes – but sometimes it is months, years, even decades.
All anticipation comes with waiting. All waiting comes with time. And all time is the Lord’s. Patience may be a virtue, but few of us want to really have our capacity for patience strengthened through long times of anticipation and waiting. Yet, God promises strength in the midst of the waiting.
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. (Isa. 40 NIV)
God does not grow weary. Thanks be to God!
May we not become weary, either, as we wait for God. May we be watchful for what God is doing. May we be prepared as we anticipate the coming of our Lord.
42″Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Mt. 24 NIV)
God of Infinity,
Thank you for the gift of time – the gift of time to know you, to love you, to serve you. May our days on this earth be used in such a way we further your Kingdom and proclaim your Good News. Thank you for the challenges in our lives. Help us to turn them back to you – to trust you with them, to release and surrender them to you, to strengthen in faith as we await a resolution. Many of us are facing questions or waiting periods, not sure how to proceed in one or more areas of our lives. Help us to hear your Spirit’s leading, to be courageous to go where you call, and to rejoice at your presence and path. Pour out your wisdom, discernment, and clarity in our decisions. Strengthen our faith in times of waiting. Grant us grace when we struggle with unbelief. In the strong name of Christ we pray….Amen.