Waiting is not easy. But it’s generally easier to endure when we have a clear end date. On the other hand, hope starts to fade when we must simply wait patiently through our dark nights – with nothing to hold onto except the trust that dawn will eventually come. And it’s here we cry and lament – How long, God?
To be sure, we understand life will come with many difficult days as we fight our battles and engage in the adventure of life with God. But one of the most difficult things required of us is often waiting in the unknown.
Perhaps this is similar to King Saul growing impatient and feeling compelled to act given the pressure of the moment. He was willing to wait at first. But when it seemed Samuel was delayed, Saul panicked and took matters into his own hands – disobeying God in the process.
Like Saul, we might have a clear understanding of what the next thing should be in our story and we’re just waiting for the right time. But sometimes we just sense tension building and an inflection point is on the horizon, but there’s not a clear sense of what our next step even looks like.
Either way, the urgency of the moment catches up with us and we feel pressured to act. If God doesn’t show up “on time,” then we must take matters into our own hands.
Certainly, we don’t want to neglect the faith and freedom God has given us to act. Waiting on God is not an excuse for laziness. At the same time, we don’t want our impatience to cause us to rush ahead of God.
And so, during those dark moments when we’ve done all that’s ours to do, we keep our eyes fixed on God – begging for his breakthrough to come quickly while still trusting in his timing all the same. This keeps us from making the same mistake as Saul did.
In the end, it’s natural to grow impatient in waiting for God’s timing. But trust in his sovereignty and in faith wait patiently anyway – freely bringing your frustration and tears to him as you do.
