"You have need of patience that after you have done the will of the Father you may obtain the promise." - Hebrews 10:36
Wait - The longest 4 letter word in the English language. We, here in America, hate to wait. We get impatient at stop signs, yellow lights, and even microwaves. They are inconvenient in the flow of what we want to do. In this "quicker than the microwave" society, patience to us is not a virtue but a sin. Yet God requires us to bear the fruit of patience by waiting. Failing to wait can and will have negative consequences.
Abraham was given a promise from God that he would have a son (Genesis 17:6 ) but he lost his patience and had a child with Hagar. Centuries later, we are still seeing the repercussions of his lack of patience. The children of Israel got impatient when Moses went up the mountain to get the Ten Commandment. Instead of worshiping God, they turned to idols and many fell dead that day. David came back from the battle and instead of praying while he waited, he went on a rooftop and entered into an ungodly relationship with Bathsheba. This relationship caused the death of Uriah, Bathsheba's husband, and the child of Uriah as well as the break up of David's family.
Why Wait? - Waiting cultivates the fruit of patience within us. In Galatians, Paul urges the Church to not become weary in doing good for in due season we shall reap of the harvest if we do not grow faint. Reaping the promise of God is what we all want. But waiting? That part we can do without, yet it is what God wants from and for us. It is during these times that we learn to trust God. It is in the wait that the weights and the sins are lifted; it is there that we learn to appreciate what has been promised. Being given a promise from God, is like the doctor saying you are going to have a baby. You can't even see or feel what the doctor sees but you trust them anyway. Even when it becomes evident that you are pregnant, you see it and so does everyone else, there is still the wait until the fullness of time. If the child comes too soon it will be underdeveloped and may have life long consequences or even die. However, once fully developed it will come in its own time; not when you expect it or plan for it but in a time ordained by God. Have patience and wait on the Lord!