"Wait for it!" You’ve no doubt heard this expression recently. It’s probably a bit more palatable than, “Pay attention and be patient!” We seldom like waiting for anything. Does that mean we are impatient? YES! In this day and age, when we can get instant internet access to instant hot chocolate, we complain profusely when we can’t have something we want NOW! (If truth be told, we really wanted it YESTERDAY.)

Our western culture is full of pressure to provide everything we want instantly. Believe it or not, that’s nothing new. The 1920s applauded “fast, faster, and fastest” as Babe Ruth hit his 138th home run, breaking a 23-year-old record held by Roger Connor. At the same time, White Castle set up the very first fast-food chain. With the changing needs of a “modern society”, Boeing abandoned furniture making in favor of aircraft production less than 20 years after the Wright brothers’ historic first flight.

Today microwave ovens provide hot meals within minutes and drive-through fast-food restaurants provide hot food any time, day or night. “Doordash” has become a popular and profitable business, bringing meals to our front door. Also in vogue are subscriptions for mail meal delivery for your family with the promise that you’ll have little or no need to “fuss” in the kitchen.

Enough said? (I know you are impatiently waiting for me to get to the point.) So, tongue in cheek, I ask you to “Wait for it.”

My point? Yes, we are impatient people who do not like to wait. We wonder why we never have time to do all the wonderful things there are to do (or we need to do) in our busy world. We crowd out the most important things with activity upon activity. We look forward to retirement only to find “I am busier now than I was when I worked full-time!” We dream of 36-hour days. What are we really missing? Is there a reset button we can push to get our lives on track with peace and joy?

Waiting may be the hardest thing we are called to do. Yet, it is the most important thing for each of us as Christ followers. A favorite verse (which I call my “life-verse”) is Isaiah 40:31. “But those who wait on 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.”

Think about it. Wait for it. The results of patiently waiting are: Renewed strength Running without weariness Walking and not fainting.

Take a few minutes to ponder those words, along with another pertinent scripture: “Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the LORD!” (Psalm 27:14)

A strengthened heart is no small thing. It is what we want -and what we will get- IF we patiently WAIT for IT!

When my children were little, I used to sing a really cute song with them. It illustrates my point. Though I sang the song to my kids, I was also singing it to myself. It tells a story about a snail named Herb. When Herb was young, he was very impatient. His daddy snail sang him this song to teach him about –you guessed it- patience.

“Have Patience. Have Patience.

Don’t be in such a hurry.

When you get impatient, you only start to worry.

Remember…remember that God is patient, too,

And think of all of the times when others have to wait for you.

As you can well imagine there’s a moral to this tale.

Some of you may find yourself behind a creeping snail.

So, if you get impatient and you’re easily disturbed,

Think about this little song and take a tip from Herb."