However, we all occasionally find ourselves, this author included, in a “waiting place” which, given how accustomed we are to a life of instant gratification, can be a challenge. Thankfully, the idea of waiting in the Bible is closely linked with that of hope, in fact the two verbs are often used interchangeably in Hebrew. Not only that, the Bible is full of examples of people who waited, not all of whom got what they waited for, and from whom we can all learn lessons about waiting well.
It is impossible to discuss the subject of waiting, and indeed patience, and not touch on the Old Testament character of Job. Even in non-Christian circles “the patience of Job” has become a well-known description for those who have endured long and difficult circumstances. Not long after I was given my own diagnosis, my daily reading reached the book of Job and I was struck again by his amazing story and Job’s searingly honest and heartfelt cries to God:
“Oh that I might have my request, and that God would . . . cut me off!” (Job 6:8-9 ESV).
“Why have you made me your mark? Why have I become a burden to you?” (Job 7:20 ESV).
“Does he not see my ways and number all my steps? . . . (Let me be weighed in a just balance, and let God know my integrity!)” (Job 31:4,6 ESV).
Job cycles through crying out for answers to why these circumstances have happened, for vindication of his character,and even for his life to end! The recurring theme in all of this? He never stops crying out to God.
“. . . I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul” (Job 7:11 ESV).
What about us? When we are waiting for a difficult trial to end, or a long-awaited blessing to come, and we don’t feel our prayers are being answered immediately, do we keep crying out? Or do we give up and go silent? Or, perhaps worse, rely on ourselves and take matters into our own hands? Prayer is a mysterious thing that none of us fully understand; for anyone who hopes it involves coming to God with a shopping list of requests which He grants to us right away then Job’s story knocks that theory on the head. God does not grant Job’s request for immediate vindication or death, nor, as far as the record is concerned, does God ever tell Job exactly why his suffering took place. What Job does receive is a unique revelation of God that prompts worship and repentance. Waiting can be painful but, if we persistently pray, whilst God does not promise we will find what we are waiting for, we will always find Him and He is ultimately all we need. As Elisabeth Elliot put it:
“The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.”
Another character in the Bible who, similarly to Job, cried out to God while he waited was David. Appointed to the role of futureking over God’s people, the Israelites, he promptly had to go into hiding from the reigning king, Saul, who repeatedly tried to find him and kill him. During this period of persecution, as he waited for God to fulfil His promises to him, David expresses his hopes and fears to God in songs and laments that we can read in the Psalms, for example:
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you . . .” (Psalm 42:5-6 ESV, emphasis mine).
Like Job, David doesn’t shy away from expressing strong feelings of frustration and despair, yet more often than not his psalms endon notes of worship and hope. How is David able to get to such a place in his distress? By constantly speaking truth to himself. In Psalm 42 he instructs his soul to hope in God and to praise Him,reminding himself that God is his salvation. Then when despair strikes again, he refocuses his mind once more – “I remember you [God]”. To remember something means it must already be stored in our mind and so we see how vital it is to read and memorise Scripture! We don’t read our Bibles to tick a box on our daily reading app, we read them knowing that we are equipping our minds with necessary truth about God’s character! Then, when suffering won’t stop or blessings won’t come and we are tempted to doubt Him, we can remember what we have learned and, like David, find strength and hope in Him and His Word as we wait.
Finally, Job and David shared one other common feature as they waited – they did not wait alone. The previous article “The Waiting Place” touched on how Job’s friends waited with him in the midst of his anguish. Likewise, when David runs from Saul,the Bible records how various men gathered to him at the Cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22). Some of these men had their own agenda but others clearly recognised David as God’s chosen leader and offered him unconditional loyalty, service and, very importantly, additional protection from his enemies. David’s son,Solomon, backs up this idea that there is support and safety in numbers in one of his books of wisdom:
“Two are better than one . . . If either of them falls down, one can help the other up . . . Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10,12 NIV).
Whilst God is ultimately the One from whom we derive strength and to whom we look for guidance, comfort and protection, He has also created earthly companionship for us in various forms – spouses, families and His spiritual body, the Church. God has placed each of us exactly where He knows we need to be – so that we can provide and receive additional support and protection, particularly during crises, but also on an ongoing daily basis. It doesn’t have to be complicated – perhaps a simple phone call or message to check in on someone – but it does require consistency. Are we praying for each other? Are we meeting regularly with our local church and getting to know one another well enough to be honest and open? If all of this makes our British stiff upper lip quiver then we need to remind ourselvesthat by getting involved in each other’s lives in a positive way we are emulating Christ:
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 ESV).
He is the most wonderful example of someone who waited well as He lived out His life on this earth with the cross always ahead of Him. He constantly withdrew to quiet places and cried out to God; quoted God’s word in difficult situations He faced; and sought the companionship of a band of dysfunctional but devoted followers as His time of suffering on the cross drew near. And despite His victorious return to heaven, His wait is still not over:
“But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet” (Hebrews 10:12-13 ESV).
Christ is still waiting to be vindicated by His Father in the presence of a world that continues to scorn and reject Him. Yet He does not falter or grumble, but patiently waits the Father’s time. More amazing still, He waits eagerly for us, His Church, to be with Him where He is and to see and share His glory (John 17:24). If this does not encourage us in whatever we are waiting for, then surely nothing else will. He knows what it is to wait, and He has waited far longer than we will ever be called to do. Ultimately, waiting on something in this life can be precarious andpainful, but it is also a precious opportunity to emulate our Saviour and to confidently place our faith in Him while we wait.Whether or not we receive the earthly things we wait for, we canbe assured we will one day be received by Him – and He is worth the wait.
“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near” (James 5:7-8 NIV).
