by Emmett Smith

"Hurry up and wait." That old cliché is undoubtedly familiar to anyone who served in the armed forces. Although I didn’t serve I’ve heard that phrase all my life and it has been validated by many who did serve. Waiting seems to be something most of us have a problem with. We resent having to wait to see our physician, having to wait to renew our driver’s license, etc. Our time is valuable! How dare he or she or they make us wait!

However, if we think about it a bit, "our" time is really the Lord’s time. It is He who has determined not only when and how long we shall live, but also the boundaries and "allotted periods" of the nations themselves (Acts 17:26). No one, individual or nation, exists on any time but the Lord’s. We need to remember those facts when we get impatient. Does the apparent progress of the abortionists and fornication advocates and various other groups and individuals who oppose righteousness get you down? Remind yourself that He is in control.

Isaiah told Judah and Israel that, "the Lord waits to be gracious to you" and, "blessed are all those who wait for him" (Isaiah 30:18). It must have been difficult for the righteous remnant to wait for the Lord’s good time. But undoubtedly those who did were blessed, and more importantly they were blessings to others as they patiently carried out the Lord’s will. To those who had obviously given up waiting on the Lord Isaiah cried,

Peter assures us that, "the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation" (2 Peter 3:15), and warns of the scoffers who will deliberately overlook the fact of God’s control and will try to entrap others as they ask, "where is the promise of his coming?" (2 Peter 3:4). They’ll remind you that He hasn’t returned as He promised. They’ll try to shipwreck your faith. But Peter has also reminded us that just as the Lord rescued Lot from Sodom and Gomorra, He, "knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment" (2 Peter 2:9).

It’s worth the wait!