WAITING FOR GOD

STORY, STORY

Two Sundays ago I stepped out of where I stay to stand by the road to wait for my youth pastor who had promised to pick me for church.

‘Should I still wait for you, sir?’ I called after waiting for a couple of minutes. He replied in the affirmative stating he was just coming out of his house. So I waited.

But strangely, I was worried at a point. I could not explain why. I was thinking he might have forgotten and could have passed me by and gone. To worsen everything, a grey car zoomed past and the driver was looking my way. I thought it was my pastor but the car did not stop. I kept on waiting. While standing and waiting, few people came out by the gate and I had to explain to them I was waiting for someone who was supposed to pick me for church.

When after few minutes that the grey car passed by and my pastor did not show up, I began to worry again. What about if that car was Pastor Andrew’s own and he has gotten to church already?
Then he would have to call me that he forgot I was waiting. Ah, Pastor Andrew, if I get late to church it’s not my fault o.

I was tempted to start trekking down to the junction and stop a cab. But I restrained myself and held on. I figured that my pastor could not forget. After all, he promised he would stop to pick me and he still asked me to wait when I called him earlier.

With mixed feelings I waited, though I could not fix why I was having those frets. I was checking my phone for the time at regular intervals. Then after what seemed like eternity (around 7.15am) a white car pulled up in front of me. I hesitated but when I saw my pastor and another choir member I entered.

‘Did the car look strange to you?’ My pastor asked.
‘I was expecting the grey one’, then I sensed he did not understand what I answered so I quickly added, ‘Oh, is the car white? See me o, I’d always thought it was grey.’
‘Don’t tell me you don’t know the colour of my car all this while?’ He was obviously surprised.
‘Maybe a grey one is on the way’, I replied.

Now, this is my message. This experience I had was like an allegory to me. You see, the way I was worrying is exactly the way I fret when I am waiting for God for the fulfillment of any of His promises. I don’t know if it also happens to you, but it happens to me. But it is foolish to think God has forgotten when He has promised us He will show up, after He has asked us to wait. If you would rate my doubts about whether Pastor Andrew would come as silly, then it shows how silly we are when we doubt God’s commitment to His promises for us.

Look, what you need is patience and trust. Why? It is because you tend to think time is running out while waiting and you are explaining to everybody why it seems as if you are still on the same spot. It is also possible for you to think God has passed you by as it was when I saw the grey car. You could also create a shortcut or an alternative for yourself. Assuming I was not patient enough and I left my waiting post I would have used my energy to trek, gone through the rigour of entering cabs and trekked again from the main road to my church. Sure I would get to church, but I would have paid unnecessarily. However because I eventually waited, I received the ‘promise’, enjoyed the AC in the car, did not pay any driver and didn’t have to trek!

I am sure you have gotten the message I’ve been trying to paint. The long and short of everything is:

Wait patiently for God

Even when it seems He is delaying

He will come right on time.

Remember Abraham, after

Waiting patiently, obtained the promise.

 

I wrote this article with bubbles of love in my heart for you. SHALOM.


*This article was first posted on November 1, 2010 as a note on my facebook page.