Waiting prompted by love

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I have waited many years for the promises of the Lord to manifest in my life. Over those years, I have often given up on waiting, feeling that it was pointless. Yet, each time, I would rise again and wait once more. I had no backup plan—waiting on the Lord was my only option. I had to wait again and again until I saw what I was waiting for. It was during this time that I was reminded of 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.’ However, I soon realised that my experience seemed the opposite of what this scripture promised. While the verse speaks of renewed strength for those who wait on the Lord, my own strength has been steadily diminishing. Rather than running and walking without weariness, I found myself growing faint and exhausted.

The Lord then opened my eyes to recognize the flawed mindset I had about waiting. I had been focused not on waiting on the Lord, but on waiting for the fulfilment of His promises. My heart’s only desire was to see His promises come to pass in my life. In a moment of prayer, I asked Him how long I should wait. The Lord gently replied, ‘Riya, If you truly love Me, you will wait for Me.’ His words took me by surprise, but I knew they were true. I was reminded of how my mother waits for my father to come home after work so they can have supper together. That simple act of waiting revealed to me that waiting is an expression of love.

The Lord corrected my perspective—waiting was not just about the promises, but about my love and devotion to Him. I was called to wait on my Beloved, not merely on what He had promised. Those who wait on the Lord, rather than simply waiting for His promises, will never grow weary. Their eyes will always long to see the One they love, remaining expectant and undimmed. I have heard countless stories of mothers waiting for their children, even after death, holding on to the hope that one day they might return. Similarly, there are husbands and wives who continue to wait for their departed spouses. These acts of waiting are born from pure love.

Consider the parable of the ten virgins: the wise virgins truly loved the bridegroom, and because of that love, they eagerly waited, keeping their lamps filled with oil. Nowhere in the Bible are we instructed to wait for the promises of the Lord. Instead, we are repeatedly told to ‘wait on the Lord.’ This perspective is vital when it comes to waiting on God.

Reflecting on this, I was reminded of Acts 2, where the disciples of Jesus waited for the promise of the Holy Spirit. Rather than wandering around Jerusalem, they obeyed Jesus’ instruction and remained in the upper room, waiting for Him. On the day of Pentecost, only 120 disciples, those who truly loved Jesus, were present in the upper room. Those who did not love Him likely doubted His words, and as a result, they missed the promise of the Holy Spirit.

I have seen many people leave the church when their prayers go unanswered. Their actions often reveal a lack of deep, heartfelt desire for their Creator. They approach God not out of love, but merely to receive answers to their prayers. For such individuals, Hannah serves as a true role model. Despite being childless for many years, Hannah continued to visit the house of the Lord year after year, to worship and sacrifice. She endured constant provocation from Peninnah due to her barrenness, yet this did not deter her from calling upon the One she loved. Her unwavering devotion made her approach the Lord  till the answer to her prayer arrived as a word from the priest Eli: ‘Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him‘ (1 Samuel 1:17). It was Hannah’s deep love for her Lord that compelled her to keep seeking Him. Her love for God sustained her as she waited upon Him, and in the end, the answer to her prayer arrived at her door.

I often wonder what Abraham and Sarah felt as they waited for a child for over twenty years. They must have experienced a range of emotions—hope, doubt, and even frustration. Yet, none of these emotions hindered them from waiting and trusting in the Lord. For Sarah, at 90 years old, the idea of bearing a child seemed impossible-her body was past the natural age of childbirth. Out of desperation,she resorted to human effort, turning to her maidservant, Hagar, but that decision only caused discord in their home. Nevertheless, Abraham and Sarah continued to wait on God’s promise of a child from their own bodies. One can imagine the ridicule they endured every time they declared “We are waiting for a child” at such an advanced age. Sarah herself laughed when she heard the Lord’s command to wait for a child. Abraham could wait on the Lord for such a long period due to deep, intimate love and unwavering trust. Abraham’s love for God was evident in his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac, a testament to a love rooted in faith. This love towards God sustained them through their waiting, making them examples of enduring faith for generations to come. 

With a deep yearning for God, Anna the Prophetess waited day and night at the temple to see Jesus. Simeon, too, was able to wait for the Child Jesus, knowing that God had promised he would not see death until he had seen the Messiah. What sustained them was love. Waiting becomes easier when it is rooted in love. When our waiting is based solely on the promise, it becomes hard to endure. But when we wait for the One we love, even the impossible becomes bearable. Wait for the impossible, with a heart filled with love for the One who alone can satisfy your deepest needs.