By Rev. Richard Walker – Vicar of St. John’s Church, Yeadon

WAITING. We don’t like waiting. Yet life is full of occasions where we have no choice but to wait.

The supermarket checkout, the doctor’s surgery, the traffic lights at a busy junction can all be deeply frustrating experiences at times. And there are more serious occasions when life seems to be put on hold – waiting for details of a hospital appointment, or for news of a loved one. Or, on a national level, waiting for Parliament to make up its mind about Brexit! Time seems to pass so slowly, especially when we feel powerless to effect the outcome.

In our age of instant coffee, instant access and instant communication we are unaccustomed to living at a steady pace, following the natural rhythms of life, being guided by the times and seasons. Everything has to happen quickly or else we grow impatient and look for an alternative way of achieving what we want.

If our waiting also involves panic or fear over possible outcomes, then we can easily become angry or resentful of everything or everyone that blocks the way. Things can be so difficult at times that we feel that we would rather have bad news than no news at all.

The Bible speaks of waiting too. But not a waiting marked by impatience, panic or fear. It speaks of a waiting on the Lord – a patient, restful and confident trust in God’s provision and timing. Not that circumstances will always be resolved quickly or that life will always turn out the way we would want it to. But we can live with the assurance that God’s loving purposes will be worked out for us as we trust in him and that his presence will always be there for us as we wait for him. As the Psalmist says “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).