It seems the theme of my life as of late is “wait.” Wait for answers, for healing, for change, for restoration, for desires and dreams. Wait. Slow down. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
Waiting comes in many sizes, shapes, and circumstances. Two people may be waiting for the exact same thing and yet the circumstances and complexities of their lives make for two remarkably different stories of longing. Sometimes God withholds, placing you in a season of waiting as you wrestle to understand why. Other times, we place ourselves there in order to walk in wisdom.
Regardless, waiting can be hard. It makes the heart yearn and long more with each passing day, month, year. Parents might long for their wayward child to turn to the Lord. A wife might yearn for an end to her husband’s suffering. There are women who deeply hope to carry life in their wombs. Others thought they’d have their second baby by now. We wait for friendship, companionship, marriage, children, a church family, healing, answers, financial stability. Long is the list of the things we long for.
Yet this longing—this deep groan from within—what if it’s meant to direct our worship and devotion toward the only One who deserves it? What if the waiting is meant to help us see that Christ is more than all that we lack?
Psalm 27:14 reminds us to “wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Scripture encourages us to be still before him and wait patiently (Psalm 37:7). We wait for many things, but what has God’s word called us to wait for? The Lord.
Wait for him in suffering.
Wait for him in confusion.
Wait for him in heartache.
Wait for him in the unknown.
Wait for him in the longing.
Wait for him; for he is coming.
All of our waiting points to the wait of all waits. Jesus is coming back. We will see him face to face and leaving all this world behind us, we will live in eternity with our Savior. Do we yearn for that day as much as we do for earthly things? Do I long for Jesus to return more than I do for another baby? Sometimes I wonder if I hope to see his face more than I hope for healing from chronic pain?
We may not get all the things we long for in this life. If we did, we would miss out on the blessed opportunity to wait on the Lord and experience his peace, comfort, goodness, and faithfulness as we do. Jesus is better than anything we set our eyes upon. Our Lord is enough. All of our longings are meant to lead us to the longed-for One.
May we join the Psalmist and sing, “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.” (Psalm 62:5).
