"Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:14

“They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!” Psalm 37:7

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

Trust, and wait. This is a lesson our parents attempt to teach us from the time we begin to speak and walk, the time of our toddler-hood when all that consumes our minds is “I want….” As humans, we are born “wanting.”

In the book by the same name, Wanting, author Luke Burgis notes that we grow up blindly and mimetically wanting and desiring what we see others wanting and desiring. Only when we learn “intentional wanting” can we begin to form our own unique identity and find more meaning in our daily lives.

Intentional wanting must contain an element of “trust and wait.” In psychology, we call it “delayed gratification.” Delayed gratification is the ability to resist an immediate reward in favor of a more valuable one that may or will come later. By learning to trust and wait, people could experience a greater sense of calm and peace in their lives. They could create greater goals. They could strategize how to get there. Or they could trust in the power of change and know that when things are less than desirable, “this too shall pass.” Stanford researchers in fact found that the ability to resist impulses and trust in greater rewards resulted in more success throughout life.[1] We as Christians know that when we trust in the power, grace, and promises of God, rather than muddling in our immediate or current difficulties, we feel more peace, joy, and satisfaction in life. Trust and wait, one could say, define the core values of true “faith.”

When Jesus and his disciples left the Temple, they stood on the nearby Mount of Olives and marveled at its beauty. It had been a spectacular sight. It was a huge edifice made of beautiful stone with pillars, several courtyards, and surrounded with tall, bright oil lamps that cast an ethereal glow upon it at night. It appeared regal and majestic, a symbol of Jewish faith and strength.

So when Jesus told them: “Not even one stone will be left upon another. They all will be demolished!” imagine the disciples’ surprise! And dismay! Immediately, they wanted to know what, when, how…this would happen! 

Jesus does not give them an exact answer. In fact, later when asked again about the times when things will change, when some things will end and others begin, Jesus said pointedly that even he did not know. Only the “Father” had that knowledge. All they could do is trust and wait –and look for the signs.

But note that this is not their only job! The disciples aren’t called to simply sit around waiting for the world to end, searching for signs, lamenting and praying. They are called to go out, to continue to proclaim God’s kingdom, to create a community in which all are loved and accepted, to heal the sick and feed the hungry, to trust, and to wait, while doing the work of a very present kingdom.

Christian discipleship –and the power of “trust and wait”–does not mean simply watching and hoping for a life after death, sentencing one’s life to an endless, silent dirge, waiting for the “good part” to begin in heaven.

Christian discipleship (and the power of “trust and wait”) means that while living out one’s commitment to Christ in the here and now, one knows that life will experience ups and downs. That sometimes tragedies will come, but that joys will too, that life is a beautiful gift from God, and that God has a call for you within it! It means that no matter the difficulties and sorrows you encounter, God will bless you in ways that you cannot yet imagine.

For our thoughts are not as vast as God’s. In our limited knowledge, we cannot possibly know all that God has yet to display and accomplish in our lives and in our world. All we can do is trust and wait, knowing that God’s miracles still happen, and that throughout our lives, God is still speaking to us and to those around us.

All we must do is carry on with our lives in an attitude of “trust and wait.”

Trust and wait keeps us from following temporary fixes, trends, or false ideals. 

Trust and wait means we lower our expectations. We don’t expect God to “make” things go the way we believe they should at the exact time we imagine.

Trust and wait means we have faith that God has a better plan than we do.

Trust and wait helps us to love freely without competing or creating our own agendas and goals.

Trust and wait means we don’t usurp the role of God and make judgments on our own.

Trust and wait means we can live with peace and calm in our hearts, knowing that God always wins in the end.

Trust and wait means stepping back and allowing Christ to lead.

Trust and wait means not focusing on the end but finding joy and meaning in the present.

Trust and wait means you know that all will be well “in God’s time.”

It’s hard for us often to let go of our immediate wants and desires, to put our demands on hold, to stop trying to mold life the way we wish.

But when we “trust and wait,” when we put our entire faith in God’s grace and God’s timing, we will find we have more “time” to be the people of God that Jesus called us to be.

We human beings have a limited amount of focus. As Jesus once told us, we can’t serve both God and money (or any of our desires).

And as Joshua challenged us: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (24:15).

What about you?

Can you “trust and wait?”  Can your faith sustain you in the times to come?

“For the harvest is plenty and the workers few” (Matt 9:37-38). 

Come, people of God, leave your worries behind. Come, God’s blessed disciples. Come, and serve the Lord!
 

[1] James Clear, “40 Years of Stanford Research Found That People with This One Quality Are More Likely to Succeed,” Behavioral Psychology, https://jamesclear.com/delayed-gratification.