Not too long ago, I was reminded of a simple yet very important lesson in life – to wait for God… here’s the story.
I was waiting to cross a major highway on my way home when a middle-aged man joined me in waiting for the pedestrian lights to turn green. He was with his 8-year-old-ish son who was merrily playing with his bouncy ball. His father had tried to warn him that his ball might slip off his hand but he was persistently playful. Soon enough, the child missed to catch the ball as it bounced off the ground, and it went rolling to the middle of the road – right smack into a small crater.
With cars speeding at an unforgiving speed, I stared in anticipation of when the ball might get run over and crushed. In an instant, I saw the kid attempting to chase it despite the speeding cars in front of him. I tried to grab him but his father quickly reacted and pulled him back faster than I can move an inch. With tears welling in his son’s eyes, the dad gently said, “Hold it son, we’ll go for it later.”
As soon as the pedestrian lights turned green, the two slowly approached the ball and grabbed it, completely unharmed – both them and the ball.
It’s incredible how a simple event can resonate so deeply within you. At that same moment I was feeling deflated due to an opportunity that I lost because of circumstances outside of my control. In fact, minutes earlier as I approached the pedestrian crossing, I was asking God why He withheld something from me when it felt like I fully deserved it. The story of the child and his dad could not have answered my doubts any better. In my heart I heard God say to me, “Hold it son, we’ll go for it later”. Two months later, the same opportunity came knocking and I was able to grab it, causing me to give much more glory to God!
The bible says,
“For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”
Habakkuk 2:3
No matter how strongly we want to grab or achieve something, it is best to wait for The Lord. Because it is only in His appointed time can we cross the road in strength and safety. God could have been saving me from a serious disaster when He pulled me back from grabbing the first opportunity when it came.
Similarly, we may have let something slip off our hands due to our own own stubbornness, and has brought us serious regrets – so much so that we are willing to trade anything just to get it back. But just as Peter, after denying Jesus three times, had been re-instated by the resurrected Christ Himself as The Rock by which His church will be built, we too can have full confidence that He will give back to us what we lost. If only we fully trust in Him, and obey His commands to be still and patiently wait for Him.
“but those who hope in The Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
Man of Still 