Imagine you’re out for a meal at a restaurant… You’ve been ushered to a table, you’ve placed your order, and now you’re just sitting at your table, waiting for your meal. Depending on the kind of restaurant, this may be a long wait or a short one. If it is a fast food place, your order will probably be ready quite quickly. However, if it is a high-end restaurant, and the meal in question is a gourmet meal, chances are that it will probably take a while.

The thing is, in most restaurants, you don’t actually see what is going on in the kitchen. There may be multiple chefs slicing, dicing, sautéing, braising, dishing, plating the meal, while the head chef dishes out instructions here and there. However, seated in the dining area, you probably won’t hear all that. In fact, if you’ve been waiting for a while, you might think the restaurant has forgotten about your order. You may start to get hangry. You might even be tempted to ask a waiter or waitress to tell the chef to hurry up.

Despite your wishes, a good chef will not rush a meal, but will follow the ideal times for each stage… whether it’s how long to sauté for, to simmer for, to steam for, or to smoke for. Why? Because they know that if they rush, they can spoil the meal. Sure, they can crank up the heat to make something cook faster, but you may not be particularly pleased with what you end up with. Psalm 23:5a says “You (God) prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.” It does not take a sage to acknowledge that preparing a feast will take far more time than preparing a simple sandwich or instant noodles. As such, if you hold on just a little while longer, the food will eventually be ready, and you will be served what would hopefully be a beautifully presented, absolutely delicious, finger-licking meal.

Before the meal appears though, while we are still waiting, how can we make the wait easier to bear? Because, let’s face it, waiting can be hard. Psalm 119: 81-84b (NLT) expresses the anguish of waiting in such a raw, honest manner: “I am worn out waiting for your rescue, but I have put my hope in your word. My eyes are straining to see your promises come true. When will you comfort me? I am shrivelled like a wineskin in the smoke, but I have not forgotten to obey your decrees. How long must I wait?”

There are several factors that influence and possibly make the wait easier to bear, but I’ll focus on three key ones: Our attitude while waiting; our ability to keep ourselves active while waiting; and the level of assurance we have that what we are waiting for is going to happen, and that it will be worth our while.

Our attitude while waiting is so important. The Bible tells us how to wait – with obedience (as in the verse above), with patience, confidence, thankfulness and joy (Psalm 37:7, 62:1, Romans 8:25; James 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Even if we can’t see what we desire yet, we can do what Habakkuk did in Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NLT) –  “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” Thomas Szasz notes, “boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time; serenity, that nothing is.” If our hope is in God, then because we are confident that He is a God that never fails, we can experience serenity, rather than boredom or frustration, while we wait. James Pierce also points out that “boredom comes from thinking that this moment isn’t enough.” Again, if we focus on what God wants us to do in the period of our waiting, we will realise that our waiting periods are not just times for watching the ticking clock until our prayers are answered. Instead, they can be periods of great learning, acquiring insight and wisdom from our experiences, wisdom that can be so vital for what God is preparing for us.

Carrying out activities while waiting can make the wait easier. In the restaurant example, that could be engaging in conversations, reading, reflecting, savouring the starters, or simply taking in our surroundings. In our seasons of waiting, praying, spending quality time with God, maintaining an attitude of gratitude, savouring the seemingly ‘little’ miracles, remaining active in service to God, meeting together, encouraging each other and spurring one another on to good works are crucial (Luke 24:49; Acts 2:42, 4:31, 13:2; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Thessalonians 5:11, 18).

We can have the utmost assurance when waiting for God to act, because He always keeps His promises, and His promises are worth waiting for. Isaiah 64:4 (BSB) says, “From ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.” 1 John 5:14-15 (BSB) says, “And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him.” Remember beloved, God is at work; He has not forgotten you!

However, what if it does not look like anything is happening despite all our waiting?

In Habakkuk 1:5 (BSB), God said, “Look at the nations and observe—be utterly astounded! For I am doing a work in your days that you would never believe even if someone told you.” In Jeremiah 1, God is engaged in conversation with Jeremiah. He tells Jeremiah about all these great plans He (God) has for him. But Jeremiah is a bit unsure about these plans because they probably seem so far removed from his current state. The conversation continues, then in verse 11, God asks Jeremiah what he sees. When Jeremiah responds, God says, “You have observed correctly,” said the LORD, “for I am watching over My word to accomplish it.” (v. 12, BSB). This is so encouraging, to know that God watches over His Word. As I said in a previous blogpost, ‘The promises of the Lord’, it is like someone actively watching over a dish while it is cooking, so that it cooks to perfection, instead of being slightly undone or slightly burnt. However it is worth reflecting on this point about observing, about seeing, made again here.

Why is it important to see or observe, and why is what we see or focus on so important? Because sometimes we can look and yet not see (Psalm 115:5, Isaiah 6:9, Jeremiah 5:21, Matthew 13:13-15). This is why Revelations 3:18b exhorts us to buy salve from Jesus “to anoint our eyes, so that we may see.” Hagar and her son were about to die of thirst even though there was a well nearby. God had to open Hagar’s eyes for her to see a well of water (Genesis 21:19). Elisha had to pray for his servant’s eyes to be opened for him to see the horses and chariots of fire all around (2 Kings 6:17). In Daniel 10, a vision appeared, but the only person that saw it was Daniel (v. 7). In Genesis 13:14-15 (NLT), after Lot left with the seemingly better and more fertile land, God told Abraham, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession.” I love the line in the song that says, “God I look to you, I won’t be overwhelmed. Give me vision to see things like you do.”

To continue the restaurant analogy, there are actually some restaurants where you can watch the food being cooked in front of you. For instance, Teppanyaki is a Japanese style of cuisine where you can watch the chef cook right in front of you. That may probably make the waiting easier. But even if it does not, at least you will know that the restaurant has not forgotten your order, but is actively working on it!

However, our eyes can sometimes be blocked from seeing the ‘cooking’, thanks to walls that obscure our vision. These can be walls of unbelief, sin and doubt. Our vision could also be blocked or blurred because we are setting other lesser things before our eyes. In other words, we are focusing on the wrong things. I should add that this may not always be the case, and sometimes it may just be that God wants us to learn to trust Him while He prepares the table. However, it is still important to focus on the right things. Psalm 101:3a (BSB) says “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes.” Other translations say I will set no wicked, unjust, vile, base things before our eyes. Instead, we are called to meditate on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, of virtue, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). And there is nothing that fulfils these characteristics more than the Word of God, than Jesus. Hebrews 12:1-2 (BSB) says “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

As we reflect on this, I pray that we will wait with the right attitude, while engaged in the right activities, as we continue to have total confidence and trust in God. May God open our eyes to the wonderful things He has in store for us. However, whether or not we can see what is in store, may our attitude still remain one of joy, worship and complete confidence in our God, our Father, the One who is preparing a grand feast for us! Amen.

Image source here.