"patience is a virtue"
to Wait.:
in Hebrew, qavah [kav-waw]
To bind together like a cord. To look for with eager anticipation.
Scripture to follow:
1 Samuel 1:17-19Genesis 3:1-8Genesis 2:16-17
John 14:27 Psalm 71:1Matthew 28:18-20
“Patience is a virtue.” I’m sure that sounds familiar. If you’re from the south, no doubt at one point or another this very sentence has prompted an eye roll or two in your younger years as it left your mother or grandmother’s mouth (Just maybe not where they could see you, if you valued your life). Patience is challenging, and perhaps it feels even more difficult to exercise when we are waiting on a promise. As we read last week, Hannah carried her prayer for Samuel year after year. She clearly believed she was meant to fulfill the role of motherhood, and we even see in 1 Samuel 1:17 She receives confirmation from God through the voice of her priest, Eli. The one thing we don’t see is Hannah receiving a timeline for this promise. But let’s read on to see how Hannah responds. 1 Samuel 1: 18-19 “She went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast. Early the next morning they arose and worshipped before the Lord.” So Hannah got up, began to take care of herself, took on the countenance of joy, and most importantly, she worshipped. Now you may find yourself thinking, “Of course she got up happily and worshipped. She knew her promise was coming!” However, how many of us, even after confirmation, find ourselves rattled with more questions than simple acceptance when we’re waiting on the arrival of something good. When our promises are not quickly fulfilled, the virtue of patience becomes harder to practice. We can quickly find ourselves more doubtful than hopeful. More anxious than expectant. With her own promise confirmed but no timeline given, it would be easy to understand if Hannah’s response was to begin a line of questioning: When? How soon? The foundation of our perspective in the waiting period comes down to only one question: Do we genuinely trust God’s character? Do we trust Him to keep his promise even when it’s taking longer than expected? Do we trust Him to be faithful even when the current landscape looks impossible to navigate? Even if you don’t have a specific promise that’s been confirmed, is your trust in His goodness stronger than the fear that tethers you to doubt? Beloved, what I say next, I say from personal experience. When doubt creeps into your season of waiting, please recognize that satan thrives on recreating that infamous scene in the garden within the depths of your mind. (Genesis 3:1-8) It’s nothing new. In fact, breeding doubt is his oldest and only trick. His full intent is to keep us stuck between the two trees where he first realized he has influence. Adam and Eve had the promise of perfect communion in Eden. Their only instruction was to leave knowledge to God and accept His gift of life in its place. (Genesis 2:16-17) Satan appealed to human weakness through one thing- doubt. He knew what we often miss. We think more information and control will leave us more settled and sure, but there is never an end to the amount of information to be gained or factors to be controlled. The chasing away of doubt only breeds more doubt. The surrender of that chase into the Father’s hands brings peace. (John 14:27; Psalm 71:1) And there's nothing more satan hates than peace at the hand of the Father. He knows if we're too busy chasing instead of trusting, then we're too distracted to be building. (Matthew 28:18-20)
The Hebrew definition of the word wait, in its literal sense means to braid or bind. In the figurative, it means to have eager anticipation. We can allow the desire for more information to fill our waiting period with questions and doubt, or we can embrace the definition of the word itself and use that time to bind ourselves even closer to God. We can entangle ourselves in His word. Join ourselves in prayer to Him and prepare for the promise by getting so wrapped up in Him that when it comes, there is no separation between its existence and His will. And of course, we can worship. Worship is an act of declaring God’s character; of raising Him up and proclaiming His power and goodness over every challenge we face. If to wait is to look forward in eager anticipation for what God will do, there’s no better way to anchor ourselves in expectancy than through worship. So beloved, if you’re waiting on a promise today, let this be your encouragement: Take any doubt you have and turn it into communion. With outstretched arms, He’s also waiting for you.
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