Human beings do not like to wait.
Whether it is the frustration of being on hold with customer services, the irritation of a laptop restarting before an important call or the inconvenience of an absent train, we quickly rage when things we think should happen instantly are delayed.
Even more so when we have to wait for the resolution of a crisis, the coming of justice at the end of a long story of pain, or renewed health after an extended period of illness. Waiting for bad or hard things to become good feels deeply wrong.
Short-term goals
Part of that struggle is rooted in the Fall. Things really should not be this hard – we are designed for better than this. But it is often compounded in our churches by a tacit theology that assumes: if God loves me, He will act quickly; if I plan and serve passionately, I will see fast and positive results; if the people around me are truly loyal, they will come on board without delay. And, when those things do not happen, we feel affronted, let down or betrayed. Underneath our functional theology of immediacy, we often do still have a taught theology that acknowledges God’s long-term plans, but it gets hidden away under the individualistic assumption that the God who is working all things together for the good of those who love Him will meet our desires with little delay.
It might seem as if holding out an expectation of God acting quickly is a kindness. And, it has to be acknowledged, sometimes God does turn things around in timescales that blow our minds. But, more often than not, people get hurt by an assumption of speed. If we speak or act in ways that indicate the norm is fast relief, fast growth or fast results, we risk people feeling as if God has let them down. Either that, or feeling they in some way deserve it – for not being strategic, passionate or prayerful enough. And, in the process, we deny the somewhat long-term purposes we see God displaying in His word – after all, with Him a thousand years are like a day.
Long-term God
How long did Joseph languish in a foreign land before being reconciled with his dad? How long was Ruth a widow before hope returned? How long were the Israelites wandering in the desert? How long was the woman bleeding before Jesus healed? How long did Paul sit in prison? How long did he suffer his thorn in the flesh? How long have we waited for Jesus to return and make all things right? Indeed, how many times did the writers of wisdom literature cry out ‘how long’? God is not a God who rushes. He is absolutely working all things together for the good of His people, but that never means we, individually, are promised quick results or relief.
Hebrews reminds us that faith is being certain of what we do not see. That God is active even when the church is small – that God is faithful even when we are facing injustice – that God is kind even when we are long-term ill. Running the race marked out for us means engaging in a marathon, not a series of sprints. And if we want to persevere with our eyes on Christ, we need to know things will take time.
For many of us, addressing this is more than a matter of moderating our expectations, it is a call to repent of the assumptions we have been making about the Lord. Maybe even the pressures we have put on those around in our desire to see plans and hopes come to fruition now. It is a call to follow the Good Shepherd, through the mountains and the valleys, in His timing not ours. It is an invitation to see His glory as more important than our part in His plans. It is humbling. It is hard. But it is astonishing too. For when we take the time to wait on the Lord, we become far more Christlike than any activism can ever achieve.
