The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

I have two people I am close to who are both waiting on surgery in less than a week. And while they are waiting, they are in considerable pain. My one friend’s cardiogram did not come back normal, and if they don’t get that taken care of in time, his surgery date has to be cancelled. That surgery date has been his lifeline. The wait seems twice as long when you’re in pain. Tom Petty sang a song called “The Waiting Is The Hardest Part” and he certainly was right. I think it’s right up there on the list with one of our hardest things to do. Another may be forgiveness. Perhaps I’ll do a post on that later. Why is it so very hard for us to wait? I’ve even heard this sentence: Hurry up and wait. That’s silly and a complete oxymoron. Patience is for sure not something we are born with and it doesn’t come naturally. We have to learn it, and it takes a long time and a lot of frustration along the way. Some people never do learn it. Life is harder for them. Waiting seems to make us anxious. We used to know someone who could not wait for dates and appointments, so she was always way too early everywhere she went. Then, when she got there, she couldn’t wait to go home. Did you know that there are times when God waits on us? Gideon asked him to wait while he got an offering, and He did. And 1 Peter tells us that “God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.” All through the Bible, we are told to wait. Isaiah says “Blessed are all who wait for him.” The Psalms seem to have the most to say about waiting, and here are some verses taken from it. “Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Wait in hope for the Lord. He is our help and our shield. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope.” Our Lord knew how hard it would be for us to wait, so He gave us some wonderful promises. But Psalms 37:7 tells us the most beautiful. We need to remember it for when waiting gets too much for us. “Be still and wait before the Lord. He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn.”