The Wait Value
Let me ask you a question. Imagine an acquaintance from long ago, someone you haven’t seen since high school, contacted you on Facebook and wanted to meet and catch up. This is someone you knew in passing. You shared a couple of classes, but weren’t really close friends. You agreed to meet at a local coffee shop, and the person said they would be there at 9:00 am. You show up, order a coffee, and find a table. Here is my question. If the person doesn’t show up, how long would you wait? Ten minutes? Fifteen minutes? Maybe thirty minutes? All that is fair. But let’s change the scenario.
What if this was your daughter, whom you haven’t seen in 8 years? Almost a decade ago, she walked out at 18, and you haven’t seen or heard from her since. Then one day, out of the blue, you get a message on Facebook, and it's her! She says she wants to meet at a local coffee shop to reconnect. She says she will be there at 9:00 am. You show up at the coffee shop, grab a coffee, and sit at a table for two. How long would you wait for her if she didn’t show up at 9:00 am? I can guess your answer is much different than the first scenario. You may have thought, “I would wait all day! I would stay there until they closed the shop and kicked me out.” The difference in the two scenarios is the value of the relationship. You mildly value your high school friend, but you highly value your relationship with your daughter. She is worth the wait.
So, how much do you value God? How long will you wait for Him? Do you value him like you do a high school acquaintance when you go to pray…do you wait in prayer for maybe 10 minutes? Or is He more valuable than your son or daughter, and you have no problem going into your prayer and waiting hours in worship and devotion to the One you love more than life itself?
“The only thing worse than waiting on God is wishing you had.”
I challenge you to evaluate how much you really value God by measuring the time you spend waiting for Him in prayer. The pursuit proves the passion.
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:6 NKJV)
In Exodus 24:12-16, Moses and Joshua were summoned by God to ascend a mountain into a cloud of mist and smoke and wait to hear from Him. They waited on Mount Sinai for six days before God spoke! That is 144 hours of waiting. Practically, you may not be able to take six days off work and hire a babysitter to watch your kids so you can seek God (although it would be worth it). But what if you could take this same timeframe and commit to pursuing God with all your heart? What might happen if you took 144 hours and spread it out over a daily pursuit? This breaks down to 96 minutes daily for three months to pray and meditate on Scripture to get to know the God of the Universe. Frankly, that means cutting out an hour and a half of the time we usually spend in front of the television or social media, to pursue the God of all love and power.
I think this should be the baseline for every new believer. The Lord, who saved us from Hell and death, and redeemed our souls, deserves our pursuit—even if that looks like quietly waiting for Him to speak as we sit in silence, praying and reading His Holy Scriptures.
I am banking on God’s promise. If you seek Him, He will reveal Himself to you (Jeremiah 29:13, Luke 11:13 & 12:32), and I can guarantee that if you truly encounter Jesus Christ, you will spend the rest of your life happily pursuing Him from a pure love and a sincere faith.
By Joseph E.O. Mead