Waiting is a huge part of life.\u00a0 It would be interesting if someone calculated what percentage of the average person\u2019s time is spent waiting.\u00a0 We wait for traffic lights, doctors, spouses, mail, and many other things.\u00a0 Most of us, probably all of us, don\u2019t like to wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, waiting is a significant concept in the scriptures.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the very beginning, in the garden of Eden, God promised a Messiah, a Savior (Gen. 3:16).\u00a0 The fulfillment came after thousands of years of waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Lord warned Noah of the flood, then spent 100 years building the ark and waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God promised Abraham the land of Canaan, and his descendants waited 500 years to receive it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The promise to David of the Messiah coming from his descendants was about 1,000 years in coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The disciples thought Jesus was coming back in their lifetimes (every generation should think and live that way!)\u00a0 We are still waiting 2,000 years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ever heard the term \u201cthumb twiddling\u201d?\u00a0 It means not having anything to do and waiting passively for something to happen. \u00a0 Biblical waiting is not twiddling our thumbs, watching more TV, etc.\u00a0 Let\u2019s look at some principles of how we wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isaiah sums up biblical waiting in chapter 40 verse 31<\/a>: those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Other translations of this verse use \u201chope\u201d, \u201ctrust\u201d, \u201cexpect\u201d, \u201clook for\u201d instead of \u201cwait\u201d. It\u2019s an expression of faith and absolute reliance on the Lord. We know that God\u2019s timing is perfect, and he will bring us what we need at the right time. Notice that he gives us strength to walk, run, even fly (figuratively), doing ministry, serving the Lord, when we wait for Him. This is active waiting<\/strong>, not passive thumb twiddling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The following scriptures shed additional light on how we wait. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ps 37:7<\/strong> Rest<\/strong> in the Lord and wait patiently<\/strong> for Him<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ps 37:34<\/strong> Wait for the Lord and keep His way<\/strong>, And He will exalt you to inherit the land<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ps 106:13<\/strong> They quickly forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel<\/strong>, <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lam 3:25-26<\/strong> The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who <\/em>seeks Him<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the Lord.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We rest in him.\u00a0 As Hebrews <\/em>4:10 puts it, \u201cwhoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his\u201d.\u00a0 We keep His way, doing His works in His strength from a place of rest in what He has done for us.\u00a0 We wait for his counsel, listen for his voice.\u00a0 And we seek Him!<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the exile, Jeremiah wrote to the exiles at the beginning of their 70 year captivity in Babylon.\u00a0 While they waited, he told them to be active, to live life, to build houses, raise families, and also to seek the good of their community.\u00a0 He also gave this Word from God, found in Jer. 29:13-14 “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.<\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew 25<\/a> – the ultimate wait for Jesus\u2019 return!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 24 about the signs of His return, and he told them to be alert, and to be prepared!\u00a0 In other words, active waiting<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we are expecting house guests, we wait, but while we wait, we get ready. We prepare, clean the house, plan the menu, do whatever we need to do before they arrive. Jesus gives three parables as examples of waiting for Him in Matthew 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 25:1-13, the ten virgins – five were prepared and carried oil, five were \u201cthumb twiddlers\u201d and couldn\u2019t enter the wedding feast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 25:14-30, the talents. Three servants received talents. The two with more talents actively invested. The servant who only received one talent \u201ctwiddled his thumbs\u201d, buried it, and was rebuked by the master.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 25:31-46, the sheep and the goats. The sheep actively ministered to those around them (Jesus in disguise), but the goats did nothing (twiddled their thumbs) and were shut out of eternal life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In all of these parables, the active waiters were rewarded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He waited for his people to turn wholeheartedly to Him for centuries before He finally allowed Jerusalem to be destroyed and his people to be exiled.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n He waited for \u201cthe fullness of time\u201d to come before He sent His Son. For conditions to be just right for the spread of the Good News. (Galatians 4:4)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 Peter 3<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In this chapter, Peter discusses the delay in Jesus\u2019 return. His major point is that God is waiting! He is patient, wanting all to come to repentance until His return. He also instructs us in verse 12 to \u201cwait for and hasten the coming of the day of God\u201d<\/em>. We are to live \u201clives of holiness and godliness\u201d <\/em>(verse 11), and \u201cwithout spot or blemish, and at peace<\/em> (verse 14).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now God is waiting for us, His people, to \u201chasten His coming\u201d by living for him, making disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19), giving everyone the opportunity to repent and turn to God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While we wait, be active. Do His work. He is waiting for us! In His time, He will come!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Related articles<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Waiting <\/a>– written shortly after the pandemic began in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe Rest<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We Prepare<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
God Also Wait<\/h3>\n\n\n\n