Waiting Patiently

How many of you can remember this schoolyard prank? Two of your buddies get into a disagreement about who is the fastest runner and decide to race to settle it. I was always the one to start the race because there was never any question about my speed. (Or should I say, lack of speed!) And I was intelligent enough to never judge the winner at the end either. Someone (the winner) always seemed to an unfair advantage (in the eyes of the loser, at least). That’s one lions den I’m fairly sure even Daniel wouldn’t have wanted to walk into.

Anyway, they would find a flat open area, agree on the destination and wait for the starter (me) to yell go! I can still see them, some rocking back and forth slightly, hoping to get an edge on the other. Others would become deathly still, every muscle tightened up for the initial thrust of energy. I would begin solemnly with the first two counts. And with a growing grin on my face, yell at the top of my voice, “Stop!!!” You know, it’s amazing how fast I could run after yelling that. Each time, one would start running, oblivious to the actual instruction given. The other would stumble a few steps and then turn around with a look of “You’re dead” written on his face.

I was thinking about this after reading a devotional piece about what waiting on God means. It brought up the idea that waiting shows respect for the other person and shows your dependence upon that person. In this above illustration, my friends waited on my starting them, knowing I would be fair and cared about them both. They also waited because they had to if they wanted to resolve their problem. In the same light, we wait for God’s response in prayer because we know God is benevolent and is also listening. God loves us and cares for us. And we wait with breathless sighs sometimes, yearning to hear just a word.

But there are other times when we wait, not because we wish to, but because we have to. We are dependent upon God whether we want to be or not. Here’s a news flash you may or may not have heard: God is God and I’m (you’re) not. I know, I know, that’s shocking news to some of you. And no, I’m not really kidding. When we pray, do we expect God to act immediately? Just because we offered a prayer, does that mean that God is under some contract to do our bidding? Nope, this isn’t some genie of the lamp we just rubbed. This is the ruler and creator of the universe. Let’s get our priorities straight. We are the pot; God is the potter.

Sometimes we have to wait because that’s God wants us to be doing. We have to wait so God has our undivided attention. Uh-huh, that’s it; you can’t talk and listen at the same time. Man, I’m beginning to sound like some of my old teachers. But what do our prayers sound like? If it’s, “God help this person” and “God help that person” and “God help me” and “bye”, we have a problem. We are not waiting for the response.

Spend some time with God and spill your guts. Tell of your hopes and dreams and frustration and concerns … and then shut up and listen. Maybe you’ll just know that God is listening. But maybe, there’ll be a message for you. And I guarantee it will be worth hearing.