Matthan and I sat in the dentist’s office, doing what those places were designed for—waiting. Waiting until the dentist had time to see us and do an x-ray. Waiting to hear what he would say about Matthan’s repeated abscesses near a tooth with no cavities.
Waiting is not my favorite occupation. Especially when waiting for answers, test results, or solutions to a problem. I prefer some activity to sitting idly by, waiting.
But frequently, God asks us to wait. Even commands us to wait. There are times when he needs us to be still, to trust, to wait and see what he plans to work out for us.
The disciples of Jesus might have felt the same way. Were they impatient to begin spreading the good news of Jesus’ resurrection to the far ends of the earth? Perhaps.
In Acts 1:4, Jesus “commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father.”
The disciples must have felt a bit puzzled. “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” they asked (verse 6), no doubt wondering why they were supposed to wait when they thought they’d be asked to go.
Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in his own power [or authority]” (verse 7).
So Jesus told them to wait. Only after they had received the power of the Holy Spirit were they to begin their ministry in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, “and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (verse 8).
We want to be up and doing, to work for God, and he asks us to wait. We pace around his waiting room, stewing, fretting, and biting nails. This time is so wasted.
Or is it? Patiently waiting for God is one way of learning to trust him. Behind the scenes, he is often working out our problems in surprising ways.
The Bible is full of promises for those who wait for God. “Blessed is he that waiteth” (Daniel 12:12). “Therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you” (Isaiah 30:18). “The LORD is good unto them that wait for him” (Lamentations 3:25).
Or my favorite, from Exodus 14:13-14, from Moses’s words to the children of Israel as they stood upon the banks of the Red Sea while Pharaoh’s army advanced behind them: “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day . . . the Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” In other words, be quiet, hold still, wait.
In essence, if God asks us to wait, he’s asking us to trust that he knows best. That he knows what’s going on. And that he can work it out for us, if we’ll only permit him to do so.
At last the dentist showed up with the results of the x-ray. Matthan’s tooth would have to be extracted. Now we wait for that appointment.
| Prayer | Reflection |
| You see my impatience, O Lord, and the way I rush into life. Show me how to slow down and learn more of you and your stillness and quiet peace. | In what area of my life, though I would like something to happen there, is God asking me to wait? |