I have waited, waited for the Lord,
and he stooped toward me.
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God. (Ps 40:2,4ab)
I believe that if we made a list of the top five things that people hate, one of the top five items would be: “Waiting”. I do not know about you; but, I absolutely hate waiting.
I had a doctor that was notorious for making his patients wait. Initially, I would take my Kindle with me so that I could sit and read. After a few appointments, it became apparent that every appointment was going to be the “waiting game”, so I would begin to call the nurses and see how late he was running. I would ask them to pull my chart and then would come to the office an hour or an hour and a half later and be “just in time” for my appointment.
Doctors, airports, shows, amusement park rides, all these places are notorious for making people wait.
In a way, it is kind of amusing to see the way waiting affects others. It helps the waiting go by knowing that one does not suffer alone.
Some waiting games are harmless and take relatively little time. Other waiting games have taken much longer.
Can you imagine the generations that waited for the coming of the Messiah? That wait must have been interminable for the people involved, especially all of those who died before Jesus even came.
The psalmist, in today’s Mass, tells us that the Lord does come to those who wait. “I waited, waited for the Lord, and he stooped toward me.”
We may not like to wait. We may go so far as to demand that we do not have to wait. However, we cannot impose any “rules” on God. We are told that we must wait for Him to answer us. This is one of the times that waiting can help to make us more holy.
FAITH ACTION: Pray for patience as you wait for God to respond to your prayers.