One of the many things that happened as a consequence of man’s fall into sin is that patience, waiting, and being still do not come naturally. Some of the richest scenes in life come when patience and stillness coincide with waiting. Job said that he would wait all the days of his appointed time till his change came. (Job 14:14) When he uttered that statement, he was in the throes of misery and natural suffering. After losing his children, possessions, health, respect of his wife, and the comfort of his friends, he had the grace to say that he still waited for something yet to come that sustained him. No matter the situation or season we find ourselves in, we can likewise wait, but how we wait makes all the difference.
Waiting not Fretting: Many times, our “waiting” that we claim to be doing is really just fretting (worrying). The Psalmist told us not to fret because of evildoers. (Psalm 37:1) Guitars have raised edges called “frets” that are designed to put applied pressure on the string to make certain sounds. Fretting in this world is when pressures come, and we make particular sounds as a result (moaning and groaning). The way that Job waited was not due to the pressures he experienced but rather in spite of them. His waiting looked at what would be not what is now – the coming resurrection instead of present sorrows.
Hoping not Wishing: The word Job used “wait” is the same word that is rendered in other places as “hope.” Basically, Job was hoping through waiting. Like us, he knew not what all the future would bring, but he hoped for that which came beyond the future when time is no more. He could have wished his trials would be gone, but to earnestly expect them to end was information he did not have. However, what he hoped for beyond the future was something he could earnestly expect as that which God planted in his soul had blossomed into radiance. While I know not what a day may bring, I do have hope about what THE DAY will bring! In that we can quietly wait and hope for the glory of God yet to come.
More Waiting: Solomon told us that the older we get the more we can expect “evil days.” (Ecclesiastes 12:1) What the world calls “golden years,” nature shows us that the further we go in life the harder things can become. We get naturally weaker, our faculties fade, and waiting in hope can be harder if we look at all the vain and perishable things on this earth. Paul encouraged us in Philippians 3 to forget about what was, reach forth to what will be, and press currently toward that mark and standard established by Jesus Christ the Righteous. Whether our days are many or few, may the waiting of “our time” be solely focused on Him and His coming work.
Friends, I know not where all of you have been, and I may not know where all of you are right now in your walk and fellowship with God. However, I do know where we’re all going. Because of that, we can all wait together in hope and anticipation of Him calling and us answering. He will have a desire to the work of His hands, and no matter the circumstances we have faced or will face, this glorious hope trumps it all. I can’t imagine how Job’s life must have felt – nor do I care to find out – but I have felt the same God cheering my soul that no doubt cheered his. Let us live a quiet and peaceable life; living in the hope of brighter things to come.