As a Filipino, I like Chickenjoy. For some reason, we (at least most of us) like its smell, and of course, its taste.
Sometimes though, we are hit with this line: “Willing to wait po ba mga 15 minutes, niluluto pa po kasi yung manok? (Are you willing to wait for 15 minutes? We’re still cooking the chicken.) Most of the time, we’re okay with it knowing that in the waiting, there will be chickenJOY eventually, because the cashier said so.
When it comes to God’s Word though, it usually is different.
The Problem of Waiting
Our generation has to be the worst when it comes to waiting. Advancements in society have helped us get faster results, and currently, with artificial intelligence (AI, but I’d like to call it faster algorithmic computation), things have exponentially become faster.
We have things in an instant—noodles ready in 3-5 minutes, shopping at our fingertips, and even instant coaches after watching some motivational videos (hehe).
We have been deprived of the art of waiting. I remember this line from Toy Story 2 from the artist who was commissioned to fix Woody: “You can’t rush art.” There’s a reason why fast food is cheaper than gourmet food, because the latter is prepared better and is well-thought-out.
Instant gratification has been wired into us that it has crept into other parts of our lives as if we can make good things fast. Instant wealth, instant relationships, instant healing, so we go to places where we think we can get these, and everything still falls short of what we actually need.
Why God Wants Us to Wait
Since we’ve established that waiting has value, of course, God, who is sovereign, must know the value of waiting for us.
What seems to be suffering for us is a moment of refining for Him. It can also be a time of helping us understand who He is even more. We can start with this:
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10 ESV)
When God says, “Be still,” as an order, He assures us to be still. It is a command that we can trust Him. When He says wait, we can trust His word on it.
As for my examples above about things that are instant, usually, they are of lower quality and value. If that is the case, though it is hard, God wants to give what’s best for us, only if we would trust Him when He says wait. God never deals with His children with things of low quality; He always gives what is best for us, like when God gave His son Jesus to us. That ended the wait for an answer for a Messiah.
Also, there are so many stories in the Bible that show us how God refined people in the waiting.
- Joseph’s arrogance of feeling the favoritism was diminished during his time in prison.
- Abraham’s promise of a child was fulfilled, but he was commended for his faith in waiting.
- Paul’s prayer on waiting for his thorn to be removed, yet in the waiting (was it ever resolved?), it drew him closer to God and led him to conclude that he leaned more on God for strength.
Joy in the Waiting
I am in a position currently of waiting, thus this whole writeup. I found myself in a predicament that put me in a place of questioning God, “Why not now?” It was not a good feeling in an instant. Yet, in that gut-wrenching moment while biking, God answered, “Joy in Waiting.”
I guess I too have been wired to want something in an instant, but when God answers to have joy in the situation, then like “shema” or hear and obey, we do exactly as we are told.
How do you do it though? You can fabricate a lot of things, but aside from holiness, joy is something you cannot fake. But we can do something about it.
- When God said to delight in Him (Ps 37:4), then in the waiting we focus on Him. Not for anyone or anything else but for Him. Sure, the verse ends with “and He will give us the desires of our heart” but remember it starts with delighting in Him, so when we do, the outcome is already something He has refined.
- “When the present seemed a desolate land, they plundered the past for hope.” I got this from an article from Desiring God, and I am reminded of the other times when God asked me to wait. I checked my journals and read of God’s faithfulness from His Word, and was reminded of how He has always, always delivered. It gives us time to refine our affections for the thing we are praying for.
- It’s easy to read verses about “Fix our eyes on God” when we’re just reading them, but to have us experience it firsthand is truly different, and as much as I don’t want it, it is a necessary phase if we truly trust God.
As for me, I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me. (Micah 7:7)
No waiting is ever joyful, as the world would say. Well, even on our level, we can feel its weight even as we wait for a simple order of Chickenjoy, but in the waiting we have trust and joy knowing that our Chickenjoy will be served.
How much more for a God who told us to wait. For sure He will not hold back, and He will deliver, maybe not in the exact form, but nonetheless, a joy that we can hold on to Him.
Should we fear the passing of time while waiting, His Word also holds true with power: “I the LORD will hasten it in his time” (Isaiah 60:22).
LIT UP! 