Let’s be real. Waiting is difficult. We live in a time, thanks to modern technology, that is making it even harder to wait, but it is still ever part of our daily lives. Yet, we love and serve a God… who waits. In Saint Paul’s famous discourse on Love in 1 Corinthians 13, what is his first descriptor of Love? Love is patient. We serve a God who is Love, who waits. In this season of my family’s life, the Lord has us waiting: waiting for a new baby to arrive, waiting for a house to be built, waiting to be healed from Lyme disease, waiting to be sent back out on mission. He continues to remind us: we serve and love a God who waits. He’s in the waiting.
As I was reflecting on today’s readings, once again I’m reminded of a God who waits. The promise to two barren wives, that they shall each bear a son, and each will play a role in the deliverance of their people. Who knows how long they had been barren, who knows the why behind it, but the truth is, we serve and love a God who waits. He’s in the waiting.
All throughout scripture we see it. The Israelites waiting 40 years to be delivered from Egypt, Joseph in the Old Testament waiting all those years in captivity to see the Lords Prophecy revealed; Poor Martha and Mary having to wait four painful days for Jesus to raise their brother Lazarus from the dead; and there are many other examples, but the truth of the matter is…He’s in the waiting.
This week of advent we find ourselves rejoicing in the waiting for the Hope that is to come. I was blessed by the line in today’s Psalm that said, “For you are my hope O LORD; my trust”. As I was praying with this line, I had to ask myself, In this season of waiting, where am I placing my hope? When I place my hope in an outcome, in healing, in others, I easily find myself disappointed. But yet in Romans 5:5, God’s word tells us that His Hope does not disappoint. “For YOU are my hope O Lord.” When I place my Hope in Him and not in an outcome of my desire, I’m reminded of Romans 8:28, that “all things work for good to those who love Him,” regardless of the outcome.
As I sit and write this there is a song from Bethel called “Take Courage” that is running through my head. One of the verses says, “Take courage my heart, stay steadfast my soul, He’s in the waiting, He’s in the waiting. Hold onto your hope, As your triumph unfolds, He’s never failing, He’s never failing.” In this season of waiting, may we be encouraged by a Hope that does not disappoint, a Love that never fails, and in a God who waits––for He is in the waiting!
Erik and Bridget Martin, along with their four children, are lay Catholic missionaries with Family Missions Company. They currently serve at the stateside mission base in Abbeville, LA.
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