I have a confession to make. I am often less than patient. When I want something, I wanted it yesterday. I, personally, detest waiting on anybody or anything and I suppose it can be chalked up to my being an A+ personality. I often wonder: Is that a good thing, or a bad thing? Or, is it just what it is? Or, perhaps it is also because I have become a product of my environment as it seems that someone or something is always pushing us through life in such a way that we must move quickly or get out of the way.
Some years ago, when returning from Houston, Texas where I had been to visit my mother, the four-lane interstate narrowed down to two lanes due to miles of road construction. The word ‘narrowed’ is an understatement as the lane was bordered on each side by concrete barriers which made the roadway seem much narrower than it actually was. As I came upon other cars in my lane, the road was congested, and some drivers were driving slower than the posted 45 miles per hour speed limit. I found myself growing impatient as I wanted to get through the seemingly endless construction. But then suddenly, the traffic in front of me disappeared out of sight, leaving me to be the leader.
I wanted to obey the posted speed limit because motorists were warned that exceeding the speed limit could result in a doubled fine. But in a situation where the hunter became the hunted, traffic was bearing down on me and I quickly learned how others must feel when my own impatience is displayed. They were visibly growing impatient with me, just I had been with others just moments before.
Waiting can be stressful. Impatience often leads to anxiety. Anxiety can often lead to a breakdown of sorts. The Scriptures offer us good advice as we are told over and again to “Wait on the Lord.” In fact, the Bible speaks of ‘waiting’ more than one-hundred times, but one of my favorite verses is Psalm 37:7 which states “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him…” The lesson is simple: When life is bearing down on us and we feel as though we are about to be run over, we must slow down and rest in the Lord as we wait patiently for Him to do what He will.
I suppose many of us need to slow down a bit lest we allow ourselves to hurriedly pass by the things that are important – things that will bring us pleasure rather than frustration. So, to reiterate the words of the psalmist as found in Psalm 27:14, “Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.”
– Pastor Jerry L. Dunn, Oak Street Baptist Church
