It seems like the words “waiting” and “patience” have an inextricable bond. A person can wait without patience, of course, but it then becomes a miserable experience and time seems to move even more slowly. Often grumbling, complaining, and frustration are both inwardly felt and outwardly expressed when someone cannot find the strength to be long-suffering. Patience is defined as the capacity to have a “calm spirit” in spite of delays and difficulties. Everyone admires the person who can pleasantly endure a trying situation or person and remain hopeful and optimistic. Usually this happens because of the willingness to understand, to accept, and to look for some positive outcome in the future.
There are times in our lives, just as it has been throughout history, when God asks His children to wait patiently for His intervention and for His perfect timing. It was enormously difficult for Hannah (I Samuel 1) to patiently wait for the child that she longed to have. She was a godly women who prayed faithfully to the Lord but the years went by without the answer that she was seeking. The wait was long and hard, but AT THE RIGHT TIME, God did answer her prayers by giving her a baby boy whom she named Samuel. Her persistent and patient waiting bought her great joy, didn’t it? Joy in having a son of her own for several years and then great joy and peace in giving that young boy back to God to serve Him for the rest of his years which was her act of worship and thanksgiving.
God knows and sees the anguish of our hearts when we cry out to Him. It can feel like He is unwilling to respond to our earnest requests, but He also knows and sees what will be the best for us. He longs to satisfy our desires in ways that will cause us to worship and glorify Him beyond our imagination. Patience will always be worth it!
