post by Lisa Buffum, November 10, 2022
Begin by reading Psalm 13 on Biblegateway.com or in your own Bible.
It is really hard to wait. It is especially hard to wait in our instant-gratification society. I can go through a fast-food drive-through and within five minutes have a hot sandwich, hot fries, and a cool drink in hand. Moreover, if it takes longer than ten minutes then I may start to grow impatient while waiting in the car line, depending upon the day.
The Psalmist, David, is not talking about waiting vs instant-gratification. He is talking about long, agonizing waiting. Waiting for a health diagnosis. Waiting to hear from someone estranged from us. Waiting for a career change. Waiting for a word from God on which direction in life we should go.
David asks five questions to open this Psalm, and four of these begin with “How long?” How long will I be forgotten? How long will Your face be hidden? How long will I sorrow and wrestle and struggle? How long will I feel like I am losing the battle? When we feel this way, and we likely all do at times, it can be really hard to wait.
When we find ourselves in a time of waiting, what can we do? Well, we can remind ourselves of the times in which God has shown up before in our lives. We can remind ourselves of God’s unfailing, steadfast love. We can remind ourselves of the ways in which God has been so good to us in the past. And, if we feel we can’t remember, we can go to others and ask them to tell us their stories of God’s work in their lives, His goodness, and His steadfast love. God is good; all the time.
And we can recall that we know something that David did not know when he wrote this Psalm: Jesus Himself, our Salvation, has since entered into time and space and stands with us in the place between the waiting and the knowing. I may not know yet where I am to go or what I am to do, but I do know with Whom I go and do and be. Jesus. My heart rejoices in His salvation.
In the waiting,
Photo by Umit Bulut on Unsplash
PS – Looking for something to study during Advent? We have several great options. One of these begins November 21: Taking Back Advent: Moving Toward the Miraculous
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Lisa is the Director of Online Education for the Institute for Discipleship, overseeing the ministries of BeADisciple.com. Lisa completed a Master’s degree in Christian Ministry from Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, in May of 2006.
She is the mother of three children, and currently, “Mimi” to four grandbabies. Lisa teaches the instructor training course, Lay Servants as Christian Transformational Leaders, and other courses as needed, and provides technical assistance for instructors and learners for every IFD course.
