Hope in the Night (A 30-Day Reflection of the Word of God)

Eight Night: Why Would I Have to Wait?

"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord."
- Psalms 27:14

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Reflection:

How many decisions have you made that frustrates you even more when it didn't go according to your will? How many decisions have you made that took you to a wrong turn and caused unpleasant experiences just because you can't wait?

There are things that we don't have to wait longer anymore. Communications became faster and more convenient. There are already DIY videos in the internet so you don't have to wait for a plumber or carpenter or even a gardener. But imagine waiting for a friend who was already late for an appointed time schedule? How frustrating and annoying it can be.

Apparently, Habakkuk knew that waiting is troublesome. But he also knew that waiting is something he had to do if he wanted to get out of the suffering he was experiencing. In Habakkuk 2:3 God told him, "For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry."

Admit it. Many of us can't wait. Who would want to wait for another day to buy a car when the downpayment was very affordable? Who would want to wait for another month to travel in other places when the flight was very cheap? Who would want to wait for another year in love when their crush admitted his love to them? Even for some characters in the Bible, waiting for the Lord God's will is very hard. Sarah, Abraham's wife, let him sleep with her servant instead of waiting for the Lord's promise to them to have a child of their own. Even Moses and the Apostle Paul were not crazy of waiting, either.

Appointed time in Hebrew is "mow'ed". It means the right time, the affixed time, the time so divinely chosen by God Himself. "Mow'ed" is like our old saying: God is rarely early, never late, and always right on time.

Perhaps you were praying for a friend to finally come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe you are asking God for a miracle or healing for a particular person. Or you might have a friend whose addiction you wanted begone. For a change. For a promotion. For a godly spouse. For this pandemic to disappear and for the world to go back to what it used to be. That's why you are praying and fervently asking. So you wait.

Then wait for more.

Noah waited inside the Ark for more than a hundred days, in a complete isolation that none of us have experienced yet. Moses waited for forty years for God to rebuild the nation of Israel outside Egypt. Apostle Paul waited thirteen years before he could preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Those who believed that the Messiah will come and save them from their sins waited for hundreds of years before Jesus Christ came. And now, brothers and sisters, we are waiting for the second coming of Christ Jesus!

God is building you. God is molding you. So you wait. And while waiting, ask God what you need to do. And do it all for the glory of Him who have given you victory over your sins and the eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ.

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Prayer:

Dear God, thank You for molding me into the character You wanted me to be. May you bless me with patience to wait for Your appointed time and perseverance to continue what You have started in this world. Guide me to Your will. In Jesus Christ's name, Amen.