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4For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! 5You welcome those who cheerfully do good, who follow godly ways. Isaiah 64: 4-5a NLT
Have you ever been impatient? Have you ever wanted the days to hurry up so that that something special could happen? Have you ever anticipated something so much that when it finally happened, it wasn’t quite what you thought it would be? You may think to yourself, “No, not me. I’ve always been a patient person.”
Then let me ask you, do we want the seasons to hurry up because we don’t like the one we are in? Do we want the leaves to hurry up and fall so we can get them out of our yard? Do we want the snow to melt so the flowers will come? Do we want to hurry to get to summer only to complain about the heat and long for the cooler temperatures of fall?
Do we drive faster to get where we are going only to find our stomachs in a knot when we get there? Do we turn up the burner to cook faster only to find we have ruined the meal? Do we continue to hurry through tasks and assignments only to find them rife with errors when we are done? Do we teach others our impatience, or do we project to others our faith that God continues to work even while we are waiting?
So many of us hurry to get to the next stage of life, we want to grow up and get out of school. Then we think that 21 will be the golden age when we can have it all and do it all. Next we want to get married and have children only to decide we can’t wait to see them grown and out of the house. Do we want our kids to grow up because we want to do something else? Do we dream of retirement only to arrive and find we are bored?
Patience is something I have always advocated and actually thought I was pretty good at until recently. However, I never pray for patience because the Word tells us, “tribulation worketh patience.” There was no way I wanted any more tribulation in my life than there was already.
One time long ago, I found a stunning blouse and waited six months for it to go on sale. While I waited I went on with my life, kept doing what needed to be done, and was busy doing what I always do—working and raising children. Every once in a while I would check to see if it was still there, and it always was, still right there on the rack. One day I checked on it and, lo and behold, it was finally on sale. The last one on the rack, in my size, and at a price I could afford. It was so exciting! By waiting, checking back, and being persistent, I finally achieved my goal. Boy, was I proud of that.
The dictionary defines patience as: “Denotes the capacity to endure hardship, difficulty, or inconvenience without complaint. Patience emphasizes calmness, self-control, and the willingness or ability to tolerate delay.” Are we patient? How about in traffic? What about in line at the store or bank? Impatience means: “Restless, unable to endure irritation or opposition, restively eager or desirous, anxious to begin.”
How does God’s Word address this anxiety? In Philippians 4:6 Paul says, “6Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.” (MSG) Nowhere in the Bible does God honor impatience, especially impatience with His Will and timing. Anticipation then means, “To cause to happen in advance, accelerate; to look forward to, especially with pleasure.”
The times I have tried to hurry in my life have nearly always turned out badly, and indeed, sometimes have had lifetime consequences. He tells me in this Isaiah scripture that He is working on my behalf as I wait. What does this mean? In the Hebrew, to wait means “to tarry, to anticipate, to long for.” That is what I am now doing—waiting with anticipation and longing. Not impatiently, not with anxiety or with efforts to manipulate the situation so it will be what I want when I want it, but with “anticipatience.” Isn’t that a great word? I found it one day in my reading and decided that that was how I wanted to wait.
While I wait, He is working on my behalf. While I am living my life, seeking ever to glorify Him, hear His voice, and show His love, He knows what I need way ahead of time and He is already taking actions that will ensure that my needs are met. God is the ultimate Boy Scout, always prepared!
Psalm 147:8 says, “8Who fills the sky with clouds, preparing rain for the earth, Then turning the mountains green with grass, 9feeding both cattle and crows.” (NIV) He prepares—in other words—He arranges, plans or sets up in advance that which the earth will need. He does this for you and me because He loves us so much.
This is a waiting time in my life. I am engaged to be married and although I’d like to set the date do all the planning and go for it, God says it’s not time yet. I need to wait, to enjoy the process, to absorb the learning and the growth He has for me during this period of my life. Does this mean I am not excited? No. Does it mean I am not anticipating with great joy the sharing of my life with this man I know to be a gift of God? No.
What it does mean is that while I am waiting—right now in the place God has me—He is working. He is actively preparing behind the scenes what we will need for our future. I believe that He is preparing the perfect place for us to live–whether a house or condo. The location will be in just the right place so as to be where we are needed. The size will be perfect so that we can minister to others. But I am guessing those folks don’t even know they need to move yet! God’s planning is so much better than mine, and believe me; I am well known as a master planner and organizer.
As long as I am in His Will, there is and will be peace, and with awe, I get to watch His Hand move in my life. So, although I am joyous, excited, and anticipating this event, I am waiting in the right way—waiting for His timing, His grace, and His go ahead. What a delight it is to our God when we turn to Him. He loves it when we wait with a heart of gratitude to praise Him for all that He prepared beforehand because He knew what we would need and at what time. So I am waiting without trying to figure it all out in my own little brain and trying to lay out my entire life in outline format to assure every result is what I want.
Waiting is a skill God wants you and me to learn. We cannot spend our time trying to figure out every detail and knowing all the answers before it is time—His time! Did not Jesus pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done?” Isaiah 14:24 tells us, “The LORD Almighty has sworn this oath: ‘It will all happen as I have planned. It will come about according to My purposes.’”
It will all happen as He has planned, He guarantees it. What are you waiting for? Be sure to wait on the Lord with “anticipatience.” I know I am.
Copyright 2004 by Desiree Marrion
