I recently wrote about ‘soon’.  Within that word there is an expectation of waiting for ‘soon’, and that expectation is often excruciatingly slow and torturous. Specific dates we can joyfully look toward to are easiest, unless you are a child waiting for Christmas. Specific dates such as medical procedures are not looked to as pleasurable until they are over. But what about the waiting when you don’t have a specific date, and you’re holding your breath for an answer, whether positive or negative.

There are many instances in the Bible of what we do in the waiting. Take David for example. Samuel anointed him king when he was a boy. Though Saul sought to kill David, David would not raise his hand against Saul. David had to wait 15 years to be king. The Israelites, after fleeing Egypt, wandered through the desert for 40 years before entering their promised homeland. Think how tedious and weary the nation of Israel had to be. God was silent for 400 years between the Old Testament and New Testament when He sent His Son to earth as atonement for our sins.

Waiting is no fun at all. We wait on Jesus’ glorious return though we do not know when that will be. To me, that is the most awful wait of all … not knowing when your prayer will be answered … not knowing if it will be answered to my needs or satisfaction.

What we do know is how to live in the waiting. “Be still, and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10. God is still on the throne, no matter how long the wait.