Wisdom for Waiting
Text for Sermon: Proverbs 3:5-7; 8:34; 14:29; 16:9, 32; 19:2; 20:22
Introduction.
Let’s conduct a scientific survey, raise your hand if you like waiting? Waiting rooms, long lines at Costco, border crossing, airports, traffic jams.
Hospital ER waiting rooms are a nightmare. ER time is much slower than real time. Hospital room days are like 48 hours.
We don’t like waiting. Americans are the only people who drum our fingers waiting for the microwave. The agony of waiting.
We want two-day shipping, on-demand everything.
Fast food is no longer fast enough, now we order ahead.
Instant coffee is too slow, now there is Keurig.
Have you ever paid extra for a fast pass at Disney World or Disneyland?
I have a Nexus card that lets me use the TSA Pre-check line. It is like pure gold.
When we went to the Vancouver airport to pick up Reed and Jenea, we got away a few minutes later than I wanted to. The Nexus lane had four cars ahead of me and the one in the booth was just sitting there, for like two minutes. I was annoyed, it is supposed to take like 15 seconds.
I admit it, I don’t like waiting, I will expend a considerable amount of energy to avoid waiting. My sin in this area is no secret to my wife, my kids, my siblings and some strangers who got in my way or in line in front of me.
Waiting is the common experience for all of humanity. Every man, woman and child on this planet has countless experiences of waiting and sometimes long periods of waiting.
Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years for a child. Job suffered waited on the Lord. King David waited. The people of Israel waited. 40 years in the wilderness, 70 years in exile, 400 years in slavery. We have been waiting for the Lord’s return for 2000 years.
Everyone is waiting. We spend a lot of our lives waiting, in traffic, at stop lights, in store checkout lines, for doctor’s appointments and test results, for packages to arrive, and if you are a kid you are waiting for Christmas.
We are not alone in creation when it comes to waiting. All creation groans in spiritual waiting.