We spend our whole lives waiting – for the weekend, for our payday, for our next holiday, even for the train to reach our station.

Waiting is inevitable, even in efficient Singapore. And in this age of 15-second Tik-Tok videos and immediate ChatGPT answers, waiting seems like the last thing we want to do.

If you are a young person who has grown up in this digital era, you may relate to this sentiment even more.

But that’s the very thing the prophet Isaiah wanted the Israelites, who were exiled in Babylon, to do.

“But 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) 

Yes, the moment is urgent and the time is now.

But the thing about time is that we need to wait for it to pass.

Remember the days before apps told you exactly when your bus would arrive? Waiting for the next bus meant standing at the bus stop under the hot sun, squinting to see if the bus in the distance was the one you were waiting for.

In that era of single-decker, non-air-conditioned buses, you’d be hoping for a double-decker air-conditioned “Super Bus”!

Sure, it was frustrating not knowing exactly when our bus would arrive, but there was somehow a strange kind of trust involved, because we knew our bus would eventually arrive, just like it always did. Even if the wait felt like forever.

Maybe that’s what God also wants us to do in these 40 Days — to wait on Him with that kind of hope and trust. 

It takes time to see Singapore turn Godward.

It takes time to see young people being won back to the Lord.

It takes time to be a blessing to other nations.

So of course we have to wait for those things to happen in God’s time.

It’s like standing at that metaphorical bus stop, feeling the sun beat down and wondering when our breakthrough — our “Super Bus” – will arrive.

But sometimes, God wants us to wait.

How to wait well

What if this season is one of waiting for you?

Waiting on God is not wasted time. Like the bus that eventually comes, God ultimately shows up in His own time, and sometimes in ways you least expect.  

Here’s how you can maximise your waiting time:

1. Focus on God

Instead of idling, why not use this waiting time to deepen your connection with God?

You can turn your heart to Him in prayer. That is how God will renew your strength. If we all waited like that, wouldn’t Singapore turn Godward?

2. Reflect on God’s faithfulness

If you are a young person hearing this, this point is for you.

Take time to remember the moments God has come through for you before. Think back to past prayers answered and past challenges overcome.

That’s how you run and not be weary, walk and not faint. Waiting like this will build your faith and trust in God.

3. Gain strength and perspective

Yes, waiting can be a time of growth. This is an opportunity to reflect on how God wants to use you in this season and beyond.

Waiting is when you mount up with wings like eagles to prepare yourself to be a blessing to the nations that are already in Singapore.

So, the next time you feel frustration bubbling up while waiting for the Lord, take a deep breath and remember: God is with you!

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, you see our struggles and hear our prayers. You have a perfect plan for our lives even if we can’t see it yet.

Help us to trust in your timing and wait for you with expectation. Give us the grace to surrender our anxieties to you and wait for you with confidence. Renew our strength, Lord, as we wait for you with hope.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Reflect

1. Has there been a time when God had you wait for something important? How did you feel while waiting? What was the outcome of your wait?

2. Take some time to reflect on Isaiah 40:31. What is God saying to you personally through this verse?

3. What steps can you take to focus on God, reflect on God’s faithfulness and gain strength and perspective as you wait for the Lord?

Pray

1. Pray for discernment and a desire to be aligned with God’s will, whether He tells you to wait or to go. “I am sure that God keeps no one waiting unless He sees that it is good for him to wait. When you do enter your room, you will find that the long wait has done you some kind of good which you would not have had otherwise. But you must regard it as waiting, not as camping. You must keep on praying for light … And above all you must be asking which door is the true one; not which pleases you best by its paint and panelling.” ( CS Lewis, Mere Christianity)

2. Pray for an intimate insight into God’s heart and a deeper understanding of His character as you wait, so that the waiting produces as much fruit in your character as when you are active for the Lord.

3. Pray to discern the green light if and when God allows it. “Wait on the Lord is a constant refrain in the Psalms, and it is a necessary word, for God often keeps us waiting. He is not in such a hurry as we are, and it is not his way to give more light on the future than we need for action in the present, or to guide us more than one step at a time. When in doubt, do nothing, but continue to wait on God. When action is needed, light will come.” (JI Packer, Knowing God)  

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