Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, version 1.0. A classic. 4 spoiled brat kids plus 1 Charlie Buckett win tickets to a “real live” Candyland. In the children’s varying degrees of “I want it now” attitudes, their fates played out in negative ways. One kid fell into a chocolate river and was sucked up into a tube, another was shrunk down to the size of a chocolate bar, one became a giant human blueberry, and one, during her grand finale song, “I Want it Now,” was counted as a bad egg and was sent out with the garbage. Only Charlie escaped unscathed because he was the most patient of the group. He calmly waited for each new adventure; he fully embraced that moment; and then he followed along to the next item of discovery. Charlie never knew what was coming next, but he was happy to wait until it was revealed by the leader, Willy Wonka.
The Lord asks us to trust Him this way as well. To have patience as we wait for His answers and timing to life’s events and the requests we bring to Him. To let Him lead us through and to each new thing. In Psalm 27:13-14, King David pens it this way: “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
Years ago a friend of mine asked her IMpatient 6-year-old “What is patience?” With his arms folded he looked at the ground and said, “Happy waiting”. I feel a bit like a little kid being told twice in the Psalm, “Wait for the Lord”. As though I didn’t hear it the first time, or as if I heard it with my ears, but it didn’t engage in my brain. Perhaps David, and God, wanted me to know what an important point they were covering. My knee-jerk response is, “OK! I HEAR you!” However, with a little more contemplation of some “wait times” that God implemented in the Bible, I cannot say that I am much encouraged about what patience and trust may require. For instance:
These are looong examples of God’s potential “wait time”!
We live in a microwave society. Not long ago, boiling water required a pan, a stove, and approximately 4 minutes. The microwave cut the time in half. The amount of time to shop and prepare an average, no-frills dinner – if you are quick, 1 hour. The amount of time it takes to get in the car to go get fed through a window or pop a frozen dinner in the microwave – less than 30 minutes. Most things are geared toward speed and convenience.
Given humans’ propensity to want things and the ability to get them quickly, being patient is not a cultural byproduct. As believers in Jesus, we are told patience is a Godly trait and we should strive for it. Patience is fruit borne out of our relationship with Him and His Spirit living in us. (Galatians 5:22)
Over the years, I have realized my lack of patience and have prayed that the Lord would give it to me. I mean, He says we should have it, so I assumed He would grant it. Some Christian friends warned me against this prayer saying that God would, instead, present circumstances that would DEVELOP patience in me. I ignored this counsel. Bad move. Recently, I did a Bible search for verses stating that God grants us patience. I never found any. Rather, I found that patience develops from some type of suffering, whether it is irritating people, difficult circumstances, or body-and-soul-crushing trials. As a friend recently pointed out, patience is a DISCIPLINE that develops from repeatedly trusting God no matter the journey or the outcome. We will have peace in the waiting when we understand that whatever lies ahead, Jesus knows what it is, is there with us, and will be the right portion of what we need to get through it. Perhaps my lack of patience is a trust problem. If I completely trust Jesus, I will change my tune from “I want it now” to following His leading. Then I can live in each moment of waiting knowing that those moments will bring me His presence, and patience.
