“But I wanted to eat it now!” Thomas exclaimed, palms upward, accenting each syllable. His fifth birthday ice cream cake sat on the table in front of him. He had finished his lunch, played all the games, beamed through the chorus of Happy Birthday and blown out his candles. He watched eagerly as his mom sliced into his cake. The server stuck firmly halfway through the first slice and his mom called on his dad’s strength to finish serving Thomas the first piece. While his dad muscled his way through the rest of the cake slicing, Thomas sat in his seat chiseling away at the still solidly frozen treat with his light blue plastic fork. First the blue line of icing on the edge gave way. Then the ice cream began to soften. Finally the chocolate cake began to thaw.
Thomas had been thinking about and talking about his birthday party for weeks. He put everyone on notice once the location was decided. He chose the chocolate cake with his favorite Caramel Cow, an Oreo ice cream with caramel swirls and he waited a week after seeing the finished cake for the day of his party. Thomas has exceptional patience for a five year old if you ask me. The cake was to be taken out of the freezer half an hour before it was served but after fifteen minutes, he could wait no longer. Watching him enjoy his cake was treat enough for me.
It’s so easy for us to become impatient. We are conditioned by instantaneously available information and immediate responses. At the touch of a few buttons, we have access to more information in the palms of our hands than can be housed in a dozen libraries. My older model smartphone prefaces loading pauses with messages like “taking longer than anticipated,” but still I have my answer in a matter of seconds. We grow anxious if the recipient of our text does not respond once the read receipt shows a time stamp. Traffic delays cause blood pressures to spike. We bypass crowded restaurants and coffee shops. When was the last time you complained about needing to wait? Was it actually a matter of life or death or was it simply an inconvenience?
The northern kingdom of Israel had fallen to Assyria and Jerusalem was being threatened when the word of the Lord came to Isaiah the prophet. He warned Judah and her king, Hezekiah against relying on Egypt, the very nation who has once enslaved her people. Isaiah admonished them to repent and humble themselves before God who had brought their ancestors out of Egypt and proved His power to their ancestors over Pharoah and his gods by the plagues. Their history with God should have been enough to cause them to turn to Him. Instead they turned to Egypt.
“What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the Lord.
“You make plans that are contrary to mine.
You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins.
For without consulting me, you have gone down to Egypt for help.
You have put your trust in Pharaoh’s protection.
You have tried to hide in his shade.
But by trusting Pharaoh, you will be humiliated, and by depending on him, you will be disgraced.
For though his power extends to Zoan and his officials have arrived in Hanes, all who trust in him will be ashamed.
He will not help you.
Instead, he will disgrace you.””
Isaiah 30:1-5 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.30.1-5.NLT
To Isaiah, God said, “Now go and write down these words.
Write them in a book.
They will stand until the end of time as a witness that these people are stubborn rebels who refuse to pay attention to the Lord’s instructions.
They tell the seers, “Stop seeing visions!”
They tell the prophets, “Don’t tell us what is right.
Tell us nice things.
Tell us lies.
Forget all this gloom.
Get off your narrow path.
Stop telling us about your ‘Holy One of Israel.’”
This is the reply of the Holy One of Israel:
“Because you despise what I tell you and trust instead in oppression and lies, calamity will come upon you suddenly— like a bulging wall that bursts and falls.
In an instant it will collapse and come crashing down.
You will be smashed like a piece of pottery— shattered so completely that there won’t be a piece big enough to carry coals from a fireplace or a little water from the well.”
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’
But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
One of them will chase a thousand of you.
Five of them will make all of you flee.
You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.””
Isaiah 30:8-17 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.30.8-17.NLT
“So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.”
Isaiah 30:18 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.30.18.NLT
The same Lord, God of Israel, is still waiting. He waits longingly for all to come to repentance. He waits for His children to acknowledge Him openly and unreservedly. He waits for the Good News of the kingdom to be preached throughout the whole world so that all nations will hear it.” (II Peter 3:9, Matthew 10:32, 24:14)
“If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.”
2 Timothy 2:13 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/2ti.2.13.NLT
“Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.
They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again?
From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”
They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water.
Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood.
And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire.
They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.
But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.
The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think.
No, he is being patient for your sake.
He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”
2 Peter 3:3-9 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/2pe.3.9.NLT
“For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.
And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering.
We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.
We were given this hope when we were saved.
(If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it.
But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.
For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for.
But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
Romans 8:19, 23-28 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.8.19-26.NLT
At my age, birthdays seem to come around more quickly and cake only adds unwanted inches to my middle. I still find myself growing impatient for things and unlike five year old Thomas, I have both the means and ability to push whatever agenda I choose. I pray and then I try to help the process along. I may be a fairly patient person but I still need to routinely remind myself that God’s thoughts are nothing like my thoughts and His ways are far beyond anything I could imagine. (Isaiah 55:8) I must daily choose to trust the Lord with all my heart, not leaning on my own understanding. In all my ways, I acknowledge Him knowing He will direct my path. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
“My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”
Psalms 27:8, 14 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.27.8-14.NLT
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:22-26 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/lam.3.22-26.ESV
Wait For You (Psalm 130) ~Ellie Holcombe https://youtu.be/xovPlI-0DjA?is=8Rq82ty7JuvXHllS
Wait On You ~Maverick City https://youtu.be/CDOFx5zIm_k?is=K7tje2M36rs7CF-V
A Fitting Reply 