While We Wait
Do you enjoy waiting in a line? It seems that our new normal will require us to wait longer than what we have been accustomed too. It is now common to see long lines outside of stores as retailers limit the number of customers in a store at one time. Perhaps you’ve ventured out for dinner and plan to actually sit at a restaurant table to find your wait longer than expected due to reduced capacity in the dining room. If you are like me, waiting has always been a struggle. Truthfully, one positive from the new social standards we will endure a while longer is that I have been forced to breathe and slow down. When we wait, we realize that there are circumstances out of our control that force us to reconcile with our selfish rush and the reality of being patient.
What does this have to do with anything? Matthew 6:10 speaks of the coming Kingdom of God. This presence of God fulfilled on earth will one day usher a world with no evil and with complete peace. A glimpse of this hope may be evident as elements of His Kingdom are present all around us. The Kingdom of God is a key theme throughout Scripture, and a presence we long to be fully revealed.
What we must understand is that it is only in God’s time that we will experience the fullness of His Kingdom. It is His will that we must submit too and trust. As worshippers, we cannot instigate or accelerate His plan. It is His will that we wait upon. It is our prayer that pleads for Him to take action and patiently waits for Him to work.
While we wait, we can enjoy the glimpse of His Kingdom here on earth and long for the day when His perfect will to be complete. We must still endure pain and sin, but wait patiently for His return.
The next time you wait for a long line, pause, and pray with thankfulness that God may give you an opportunity to speak to the person next to you in line. At that moment you can share love and kindness to express His Kingdom here on earth, and expectantly share with your new friend how they can enjoy a relationship with Jesus and join you in the submissive waiting for heaven.
