What kind of waiting?
Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Psalm 37:7
We all have seasons of waiting, don’t we? Whether it’s for a cup of coffee or a future spouse or even ministry/work opportunities, waiting is a key part of a disciple’s life. But how should we wait? Is there a way to wait that is good for our souls and spiritual formation? Are there ways to wait that are damaging for our faith?
I was recently at a GP for a checkup and my GP told me that people often become stressed as they wait for the doctor, leading to high blood pressure readings for them. It did strike me as interesting that even in a place of wellbeing and health, how a patient waits can actually cause discomfort and even sometimes cause risks to their blood pressure! How we wait can impact how we are when we are actually receiving what we are waiting for.
Scripture teaches us that there is a good way to wait and unhealthy ways to wait. To wait for our spouse but in anger is more destructive than helpful. To wait for a potential spouse but impatiently may distract us from working on our character for when the time comes to be in a relationship. To wait for God but without discipline may lead us to be distracted from Him when He is actually at work in our lives.
Waiting is a powerful discipline for a follower of Jesus. To wait patiently is to practice an act of internal control at the expense of external control. To wait is to deny my own agency and influence, so that something outside of my control may happen.
The Psalmist reminds us that we are to wait patiently before the Lord in all matters. Not passively but in preparation for Him to work. We wait with trust that the Lord would respond in His sovereign will. What are you waiting for? How are you waiting for it? In a healthy way? Or in an impatient manner? Whatever it is, let’s be reminded that Scripture encourages disciples to wait in a way that prepares us for God’s work, not just our will.
怎樣的等候？
你當默然倚靠耶和華，耐性等候他；不要因那道路通達的和那惡謀成就的心懷不平。詩篇37:7
我們不是都有等候的季節嗎？不論是為了一杯咖啡，或是未來的配偶，甚至是事奉/工作的機會，等候都是門徒生活重要的部分。但我們該如何等候呢？究竟有沒有一種等候的方式，對我們的心靈和靈命塑造是有益的呢？是否有些等候方式對我們的信仰是有損的呢？
我最近去家庭醫生那裡檢查，他告訴我當人們在等候醫生診治時，經常會感到壓力，導致他們的血壓讀數過高。這確實讓我感到有趣，即使在一個安康與保健的地方，病人等候的方式確實是可以引致不適，甚至有時可能對他們的血壓造成風險！我們如何等候能影響我們，我們實際所得到的，是我們等候時的狀態。
聖經教導我們，有好的、也有不健康的等候方式。在憤怒中等候我們的配偶，弊多於利。沒有耐性去等候未來的配偶，可能使我們分心，無法專注於培養自己的品格，以應對未來的感情關係。等候神但卻沒有操練，或許會讓我們未能專注於神在我們生命中實際的工作。
對耶穌的跟隨者來說，等候是一種有力的操練。耐心地等候就是一種犧牲外在的自主權，實踐內在節制的行為。等候就是捨棄自己的能力和影響力，容讓超出我掌控以外的事情可能發生。
詩篇作者提醒我們，凡事都要在主面前耐心等候。不是被動地，而是為祂的工作好準備。我們當滿懷信心等候，相信主會按祂主權的旨意回應。你在等候什麼？你是如何的等候？是以一種健康的方式？還是表現得不耐煩？不管是什麼，讓我們牢記，聖經鼓勵門徒以為神的工作好準備的方式去等候，而不僅僅是按照我們自己的意願。
