How Long Will The Waiting Go On? 

Do you ever wonder how long before you get there? How long will it be before the waiting ends? The good news is that the waiting doesn’t last forever. It’s just a season. This teaching will encourage you to see more of God’s heart in the waiting.

James 5:7
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

How long O Lord? The psalmist prayed it often and I know that I’ve uttered this prayer more times than I care to admit. You too? The reality is that the waiting can be wearying. It can sap our courage and threaten to undo us. But it doesn’t have to be this way. 

In James 5 we learn about patience in the waiting. God uses the example of a farmer to remind us that the waiting has certain characteristics.

But first, we must recognize that the waiting season is always longer than we like it to be. Have you ever noticed that for the things that matter, we want answers and we want them right now? There’s a tug of war going on between God and us. We’re typically trying to convince God to do what we want and do it right now. The reality is that we’re almost always going to want the waiting season to go faster, but a realization that the waiting season is simply a season and not a forever thing does help. Waiting is not forever. Some winters in Chicago feel like it’s forever, but sooner or later, spring is going to come!

Furthermore, the waiting season is always shorter than it feels. Do you remember waiting for Christmas morning as a child? Or waiting for your vacation to start as an adult? A day can surely feel like 1000 in our economy. But in hindsight, we almost always look back and wonder at how quickly our seasons in life did in fact change. 

The most important perspective on waiting and time is that the waiting is always exactly as long as we need it to be. God knows how long we need to be transformed into more of His likeness. He knows exactly when we need to move to the next stage of life. So, while we ask the question “How long O Lord?” the answer is this “as long as He needs it to be.” 

In James 5:7 we’re told to “be patient, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the earthly and the late rains.” The rain is coming, Christian. For now, be steadfast knowing that the coming of the Lord is at hand.