Almost all the heroes of faith recorded in the Bible went through a journey of waiting and seeing. Abraham waited for 25 years before he held his son Isaac in his arms. Noah had to labour on the ark for 120 years before he saw his work being used by God in the great flood. Even our Lord Jesus had to wait 30 years before He began his ministry.
Many of us go through the phase of “waiting and seeing,” be it looking for a new job, finding a spouse, healing from an illness or even salvation for a loved one. It can be very frustrating especially when we lived in a world of instant gratification. We want to see quick results and wish for our circumstances to change for the better immediately; but as days, months and years pass, our hopes wane. In the course of waiting, our problems consume our heart and mind so much that we are easily derailed and become spiritually and emotionally bankrupt. When times are difficult and the wait seems too long, we start to doubt God and question Him. We find ourselves lamenting and asking questions like, “Did I hear correctly?”, “God, are you there?” and “How long more?”
Between 2014 and 2015, I waited for nine months before I finally came to Yio Chu Kang Chapel to serve full-time. Those nine months of waiting was challenging but it was during that time, that I learnt to keep my focus on God rather than on the object of my wait, in this case, finding a desired job. As I battled doubts about my future, what helped me to wait well was focusing on God through prayer.
In the Bible, we see King David experiencing much waiting in his life. As a young shepherd boy, David was anointed to be the King of Israel. However, after he was anointed, he did not sit around and wait for his reign. Instead, he went back to his pasture and did what he knew to do. David waited 20 years before he was established. He faced many challenges and went through many seasons of waiting and seeing. He wrote many psalms that echoed his longing for deliverance, and his yearning of God in difficult times. Constantly threatened by Saul, David cried out to God in Psalms 13:1-2, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?” In his suffering, David went to God and choose to focus Him. We catch a glimpse of David’s heart and his intimate love relationship with God as penned in Psalms 13:5-6, “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me.”
No matter what circumstance we are in, or whether we are in the season of “wait and see,” we need to persevere and put our hope in God. Let us remember that God is with us and we have His precious Word, a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. When we see ourselves as failure, remember that God sees us as victorious (Rom 8:37). When the season of waiting and seeing feels endless, be reminded that God sees it as temporary (2 Cor 4:18). When we are in pain, remember that God is our healer and He heals (Exo 15:26). God sees us as valuable (Ps 139:14) even though we may feel worthless.
In the season of waiting and seeing, let us continue to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Though the answer may not come swiftly, we hold on and believe that God is there with us and find hope in His Word in Isaiah 64:4 that says, “Since 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.”
By Lee Ee Foo, Pastoral Staff (YCKC Bulletin 29&30 October 2016)