21 May | Youth
«Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.» Psalm 37:7
In the rush of life, we need to develop an essential virtue: patience. It is known as the “science of peace,” that is, the ability to wait, be tolerant and endure challenges. Patience is a typical characteristic of a mature personality, of someone who does not deviate from a purpose even in the face of the greatest tests.
Are you a patient person? Can you bear the time, difficulties and “delays” of life? Unfortunately, this virtue has become increasingly scarce in our society. With the advancement of technology and facilities, no one likes to wait even one second. If a website takes a long time to load or a message does not arrive instantly, we get irritated. Waiting in lines? No way! We want solutions “here and now.”
While in our culture we want everything for “yesterday,” the Bible invites us to wait on the Lord. Of course, God's answers do not always come when we want them, but we can be sure that they will come eventually. During this time when we remain in God’s “waiting room,” He takes the opportunity to transform us and develop patience and perseverance in us.
From Genesis to Revelation, we find stories of people who learned to wait on God. Abraham, for example, did not become a father in one day, but waited 25 years to have the promised son. Joseph did not become governor immediately upon arriving in Egypt but spent about 13 years working in Potiphar's house and in prison. Moses did not free the people of Israel overnight, instead he spent 40 years waiting in the desert. Likewise, David had to wait a long time to become king of Israel.
And you, how long have you been waiting for God’s answers? Have you been asking the Lord for something, but it seems like your prayers are not being heard? Ellen White wrote: “To every sincere prayer an answer will come. It may not come just as you desire, or at the time you look for it; but it will come in the way and at the time that will best meet your need” (Gospel Workers, p. 258).
If you expect something from the Lord today, be patient. God does not delay. God is perfect. It is worth waiting for Him.