We are a society that does not like waiting. Whether it is in line at the grocery store, at the drive-thru window, or at the security checkpoint at the airport, we just don’t like to wait. We are a microwave society; we want to push a few buttons and in one minute the meal is ready to eat. Even as those sixty seconds ticks off, we are antsy; we stand there tapping our foot as if to be saying to the microwave, “come on, hurry up!”

When we are waiting, it seems like time crawls along at a turtle’s pace; that slow deliberate speed. Yesterday we had a snapping turtle meander through our grass, on its way to the pond behind our yard. It certainly didn’t seem to be in any hurry. While snapping turtles won’t break any speed records on land, they swim substantially faster, up to five to six times faster than their walk.  

Or how about this – you look at the clock and it reads ten minutes before three in the afternoon and after what seems like hours you look again, only to see that just ten minutes have passed. Every one of us struggles with some level of impatience; it is just in our DNA.

We often have those same “hurry up” demands of God. We ask Him for something, and we often, if not always, want instant results. And we tell Him what we want and when we want it. But God uses two things to grow our faith – pain and waiting. Not only that, God’s timing and ways, they are perfect. He knows what we need and when we need it. We find these words in Ecclesiastes 3:11, “He has made everything beautiful in its own time.”  Elsewhere in Scripture, we are told, “This God – his way is perfect, the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him” (Psalm 18:30).

By nature, I am not a good or patient wait-er. But having said that, as I continue in my faith journey, I am learning how to wait well, wait on God. I have seen time and time again the benefits of waiting on God’s timing instead of letting my impulsive nature kick in and do things in “Dave’s timing.” 

The Bible is filled with verses on waiting, and the benefit of waiting. In Psalm 27:14 we read, “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” In Micah 7:7 we see, “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” God’s faithfulness is good to those who wait on him, “The LORD is good to those who wait for him, the soul who seeks him” (Lamentations 3:25).

King David gives us this, his personal experience of deliverance, “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him” (Psalm 40:1-3). Notice David says that his renewed faith and confidence will inspire and encourage others as well.

So today, wait for the Lord. His timing is always perfect, even if from your limited perspective it seems as if He is crawling at a turtle’s pace!

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We are a world that is in perpetual motion. We run full bore from the minute we climb out of bed until the moment we collapse back into bed at night. Then once we climb back into bed at night we roll around and find ourselves not able to sleep; our bodies are exhausted, but our minds are still racing, thinking of a million things. Cell phones are never out of arms reach. Even weekends and vacations are of no help; we take our work and our technology with us wherever we go. And social media, oh my, it consumes, wastes, huge amounts of time and energy. Stillness is just not in our DNA.

Even though I have slowed down my pace, both due to aging and the cognitive deficits from my stroke, I am still guilty of letting the challenges, busyness, and chaotic nature of life interfere with my need for stillness, for quietness, for solitude. Last night my wife and I had the privilege of attending a concert that was mostly worship music. It was just what the doctor ordered for both of us. As I sat with my eyes closed, singing (badly, I might add), worshipping, it allowed me moments to experience God’s presence. In those moments, an overwhelming sense of peace and contentment resided in my soul.

Then, at home, as we settled into bed, and as my brain tried to settle itself, some of my favorite “be still” verses came to mind…

As the Israelites feared being killed by the Egyptians as they stared out at the intimidating Red Sea, Moses told them – “The LORD will fight for you, and you have to only be silent” (Exodus 14:14). 
 
In Psalm 62, the psalmist shows a strong resilience in the Lord, for rest is found in Him – “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. For he alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress: I will not be shaken” (vv.5-6).
 
Living in a world filled with greed, rampant abuses of power, and suffering, Psalm 37 offers these comforting words – “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the one who carries out evil devices” (v.7).
 
God himself says this in Psalm 46 – “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (v.10).
 
What if each and every day we made Psalm 131 our own. It expresses King David’s walk with God, in which he has complete contentment because of a life fully submitted to, and trusting in, God. Here is that Psalm, which is only three verses – “O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.” 

There are mornings when the golf course pond behind our house is perfectly still. I just love that image of stillness; the beautiful reflection of trees cast upon a still pond’s glassy surface.

So, I ask… On a daily basis, are you purposefully carving out time and space to be quiet and still with God.

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