The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. Lamentations 3:25
According to Cambridge dictionary, patience is the ability to accept delay, suffering, or annoyance without complaining or becoming angry. Let’s be honest here, nobody likes waiting. Will there be anyone in this planet who enjoys long queue lines, long waiting hours at the café or the restaurant, or waiting for the next bus to arrive? I guess there’s none. We hate the idea waiting so much more that even when we simply look around it clearly shows evidence for it – fast food, drive thru’ s. Instant noodles, quick cooking oats, no-cook meals, etc. Waiting makes us irritated and impatient and the result well, is sometimes ugly or even catastrophic.
For a young adult like me, being in the late 20’s could be a real struggle. Let’s get straight to the point, most of the people I know are either getting proposed on to, getting ready to pursue marriage, start a family of their own, or just living their own live like there’s no tomorrow. What a contrast to what I have right now! But I’m not complaining about what they have and what I don’t have. To tell you in all honesty it is sometimes upsetting to see or to feel the pressure the single young adults face. Don’t you just hate it when someone from your family or extended family ask you if you are in a relationship or when will you marry? How much more for a Christian adult like me? We get discouraged and impatient to and to the point of looking for love and happiness elsewhere.
And then there’s the clichés about love and life that aren’t helping. What Christian young adults need are solid grounding on the Word of God especially during these trying times. We don’t need another cheesy cliché about God writing our love story which is totally unbiblical. Christian young adults need the scripture as the source of encouragement. The Bible is uplifting and there is power in the Word of God. Scripture is comforting and well-received as it is God’s truth and promises to us.
Humility and patience should go hand-in-hand. Humility in the sense that God is in control of every situation of our lives, whether it be seasons of brokenness, despair, and singleness. And patience to wait upon what the Lord has in store. Philippians 4:6 tells us that we should not worry [be anxious] about anything, even in the seasons of waiting but in every concerns we have let us bring it to the Lord in prayer with thanksgiving that in every prayer there is a ready-answer for us. And the Scripture encourages us that those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint (Is. 40:31).
If the request is wrong, God says, “No.” If the timing is wrong, God says, “Slow.” If you are wrong, God says, “Grow.” But if the request is right, the timing is right and you are right, God says, “Go!” -Bill Hybels, Too Busy Not to Pray
For those who are in the seasons of waiting, whether it be for a relationship, restoration, a job or graduation, whatever is keeping you waiting, be at peace and remember that we need to wait and be patient. We need to establish our hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand (Jas. 5:8). The seasons of waiting can also be the season of learning and trusting and doing what God wants you to do at this point of your life. Let us walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called, with all humility, gentleness, with patience. Never rush for our God is never in a hurry.