We stand outside on the platform in the sweltering heat. As we glance down the tracks, there is no train bound for Philadelphia. 30, 45, 60 minutes – well past the scheduled arrival time. Frustration builds. I hear the verbal complaints ratchet up the longer the delay. However, there is no choice but to wait.
WAITING VERSUS WAITING PATIENTLY
There is a difference between waiting (which everyone does at one point or another) and waiting patiently. We have a choice in how we bide our time. We can look at our circumstances and scream. Or we can choose to believe God is Sovereign over the circumstances, no matter how painful the circumstances. It’s a conscious choice if we stay steady and strong even in the face of extreme adversity. Patience is when we believe the end game: Jesus is coming at the best time.
MARY’S CHOICE
My friend Mary has a choice. A fellow believer, she has been waiting on God’s platform for over five years. With the diagnosis of cancer, Mary was given a prognosis of 1 year = tops. Then came surgery, chemo, radiation, and more chemo. An aggressive cancer, life expectancy was originally less than a year. Years after her treatments began, Mary heard the doctor blurt out, “I’m not quite sure why you are still alive.” The cancer is still there, but Mary is also still waiting.
During this waiting time, Mary has good reason to shake her fists at God and rachet up her complaints. However, she consciously decides to spend her time patiently planting seeds. She loves on the medical professionals who attend her, she shares her hope in Jesus Christ with those who are hurting, and she is one of the most gentle and vibrant people I know.
HOW WE ACT WHILE WAITING
In Galatians 5:22-23 we read about “peace and patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting]”. Mary makes a daily choice of how to act while waiting. “You know we call those blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] who were steadfast and endured [difficult circumstances]. You have heard of the patient endurance of Job and you have seen the Lord’s outcome [how He richly blessed Job]. The Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.” (James 5:11) Mary’s train has not come yet, but she can see it in the distance. Mary endures as she waits!
YOUR CHOICE
Are you angry that your plans are diverted, delayed, or cancelled? Or do you wait patiently in the expectancy that Christ is coming, and all will be made right? As a believer you have the power to wait; not to waste one moment that God gives you on this earth, no matter the adversity you face. Do you want to love God more than the timing of the answers He gives to your prayers? Remember, Jesus’ train is coming and is coming soon. How are you choosing to wait?