"Let me do it!" This is my two-year-old's new favorite phrase. Whether she's zipping up her coat, pouring herself some milk, or carrying a package of diapers to the check-stand at the grocery store, my little miss independent wants to do things her way and on her time. And not surprisingly, my daughter's timeline is drastically different from my own.
While she is perfectly content taking ten minutes or more to put on her own shoes, climb unassisted into her car seat, and fumble with the straps and buckles until she gets it just right, I am impatiently tapping my toe, hastening her along, and checking the time every two seconds.
"We have to hurry" and "we don't have time" have become my daily mantras. The strain of standing still when I would rather be running at breakneck speed is nearly unbearable. Waiting weighs me down.
In John 11 we find a story of two sisters and friends of Jesus, Mary and Martha, whose brother Lazarus had fallen ill. They believed that Jesus could heal Lazarus' illness, so they sent word to him, asking him to come to Bethany. Then they waited.
A day slipped by. Then two. Lazarus grew worse. As the weight of waiting fell heavy on Martha and Mary's worried shoulders, all hope seemed to diminish...
When Jesus finally arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead four days. Grief-stricken and weary with weeping, both sisters said the same thing to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died (v.21, 32)."
Sometimes we struggle to find purpose in the waiting. We think, "If God would just hurry up and heal me or fix me or show me the next step, I could get on with my life!" In our frantic rush, we carelessly fumble opportunities to grow in faith, and we may even miss what God is really doing.
After Jesus was led to Lazarus' tomb, along with Mary, Martha, and a sizable group of mourners, he ordered the stone that sealed the entrance to be removed. He looked up to heaven, thanked God for hearing him, and with the words, "come out", raised Lazarus from the dead!
The story ends by revealing Jesus' intended purpose from the beginning: "Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him (v.45, emphasis mine)."
Maybe you're in a season of waiting right now—waiting for a spouse, a diagnosis, for a loved one to come to Christ, or waiting for a broken heart to feel whole again. Or maybe, like me, you avoid the wait and race through your days, not allowing any space for deep, meaningful connections with the people around you.
Whatever the wait looks like for you, ask God to give you his perspective and open your eyes to what he's doing right now. Seek encouragement in his word through verses like Psalm 27:14, 33:20, 38:15, and 130:5-6. Learn the art of waiting well.
And instead of seeing interruptions, we might start seeing God's interventions. Rather than experiencing delays, we might just experience divine appointments. And in place of the hurt of a hurried life, we may find peace in God's perfect timing!
Reflection Questions
- When and in what types of situations do you find it the most difficult to wait?
- Inventory your emotions in those moments, and try to determine the root source of your discomfort in waiting.
- What might God be trying to teach you or show you that you've been missing due to haste?