Let’s be honest. We’re impatient people. When we want something, we want it now. And most of us have the means to make it happen on our timetable. After all, we have an ever-growing list of things that must get done. However, we become frustrated when we can’t have something immediately—when it takes longer than anticipated—or when we are prevented from completing a task. We live in a society that feeds on instant gratification. We tend to gravitate to those things that give us the greatest, immediate pleasure, and we often shy away from what requires postponed enjoyment.
In previous decades, we would write letters and wait days, if not weeks or even months, to receive a reply. Today, we can send an email and have a response by the end of the day. Why leave a message and wait for a return call when we can send a text and connect immediately? While advancements in technology have their benefits, they have programmed us to expect expeditious responses.
For the first five hundred years, the word priority only existed in singular form. Not until the early 1900s did we pluralize it. The second industrial revolution, with its introduction of mass production lines and increased efficiency, led us to falsely believe that we were capable of balancing multiple priorities at once. While the period delivered significant technological advancements, its catastrophic results were increases in standard working hours, child labor, poverty, and depression. Our incessant craving to be more productive created a significant emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical strain on individuals and their families. Is there truly any wonder why we find it incredibly difficult to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength (Mark 12:30)? Our lives have been engineered to do the exact opposite. To a God who tells us to be still (Psalm 46:10), we cannot find the time. Waiting is a considerable inconvenience. Instead, we worship the idols of efficiency, productivity, and accomplishment.
God, on the other hand, requires something different from us. He requires us to wait.
But I need an answer now. Wait.
I have a deadline that’s quickly approaching. Wait.
It may cost me something if I don’t move forward immediately. Wait.
I may lose this great opportunity if I don’t take advantage of it. Wait.
I can “do all things through Christ*” so why not take on one more thing? Wait.
I’m tired of waiting. Wait anyway.
We often proceed forward and experience utter fatigue—we become exhausted, leading to insensitivity, bitterness, lethargy, and apathy. Our refusal to wait demonstrates a growing concern for ourselves and less for those around us. It requires every ounce of energy to take just another step, and we have no margin of time or passion for others. In the end, all our faculties are spent and broken. And so many of us live in this state constantly. To make matters worse, we are somehow convinced that this is normal.
Again, waiting does not come naturally, nor is it what we desire. Furthermore, it offends us when we are forced to. Beyond merely having the ability to receive an instant response, somehow, we believe we deserve one. “Why aren’t they returning my call? Why won’t they respond to my email? I mean, how busy can they really be? Don’t they know I’m waiting?” But God will force us to wait. He doesn’t work on our timetable; he works according to his. Part of his purpose isn’t accomplishment but surrender. It’s not about advancement but renewal. God promises us that when we wait, we find strength. In other words, it’s in the waiting that God renews our strength so that we can move forward. Then, we move forward with provision. We move forward with purpose. We move forward with clarity. Most importantly, we move forward with God’s blessing and his presence.
As much as we sometimes want “it” to happen, we must learn to wait. We don’t have to feel productive to know that God is still working on our behalf.
*This is a gross misunderstanding of Philippians 4:13, but it’s used here in this context as followers of Jesus often perceive it.