“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.”
— Acts 16:25-26
Have you ever heard of the American Prayer?
It goes like this: “Lord, give me patience, and I want it right now!” Patience is not a virtue our society seems to favor. We live in a world of frozen dinners, instant coffee, powdered orange juice, instant cameras, cliff notes, freeway express lanes, cellphones, pagers and beepers.
Our motto is: Give it to me quick or forget about it!
I have never met anybody who loved to wait. So, what do you do when all you can do is wait?
Think about it — nobody schedules a doctor appointment to read the AARP magazines in the waiting room. You don’t really want to listen to the piped-in music while you are waiting on hold, and you certainly don’t go to a restaurant for the fun of holding a buzzer in your hand.
Embracing the concept of waiting challenges our sense of logic. Waiting is what we put up with to reach a goal. We endure it. Deal with it. Grumble our way through it. But, we don’t often embrace it!
Paul and Silas knew about waiting — and they waited well! The story of how they were attacked by a crowd, beaten and thrown in jail is found in the book of Acts. The jailer put them in the inner prison and fastened their feet so they would not escape. But about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, suddenly there came a great earthquake. The foundations of the prison were shaken; and at once all the doors were opened and everyone’s shackles were unfastened. God answered them suddenly!
What are you waiting for?
Whatever it is — expect it to happen.
Once you have asked God to answer a question or solve a problem, then eagerly wait for the answer. In addition to waiting, remember to serve actively, aggressively and expectantly, for our waiting serves God’s purposes in ways we don’t understand. When all you can do is wait — stay strong and let your heart be filled with good courage. Wait, I say — on God!
Rev. Marion J. Miller is senior pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church, 1201 Thomas V. Bryant Drive, Jeffersonville, Indiana. She may be contacted at 812-283-3747 or via email at wesley1201@sbcglobal.net.
