How long is the wait?

How long is a “long” wait? 4 minutes on the drive-thru lane or 10 minutes until the next customer service representative is available? 12 seconds for the YouTube video to play, or 15 minutes until the pizza delivery finally arrives? In today’s society where we’re used to getting notifications in real-time, accustomed to instant gratification, and can find the answers to any question by just invoking Alexa or our friend Google, what could help us to learn how to wait? It’s interesting to remember that even in the same society that we live in, a mother still patiently and happily waits 9 months to meet her new baby; and a farmer still waits 100 days to harvest the corn. Could it be that it’s more about what we’re waiting for than how long the wait is? Just ask the bridegroom who waited two years to have everything ready for the wedding day, or the new professional who just graduated after four years of intensive studies. It is our prayer today that we keep our focus on the “promise” more than the wait. “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” Titus 2:13 (KJV). Let’s sing with Bill and Gloria Gaither:

Teach me Lord to wait down on my knees, till in Your own good time You answer my pleas;

Teach me not to rely on what others do; But to wait in prayer for an answer from You;
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles;

They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Teach me Lord, teach me Lord to wait.