He Will Come

01/06/2015 16:42

 

    Times of waiting are an intrinsic part of life.  In all of life’s events – both the great and the seemingly insignificant -- some things happen spontaneously and at other times, we must wait.  When we wait, we do so because we are not in a position to immediately change a current situation to suit our liking.  We are at the mercy of circumstances and Divine Providence.  By remaining in a situation where I lack what I desire now, I exercise hope and trust that by patiently waiting, what I long for may be realized.  If, in a particular situation I ask, “Should I wait?” and then decide to wait, I do so because I am convinced of the importance and necessity of waiting for what is to come. 

 

    Experiences of waiting are a definite choice and are not necessarily an automatic action or reaction.  In some times of difficulty, waiting could end earlier by choosing an alternative, which may seem to be easier momentarily.  Hoping and believing that the decision to wait is the best one (if not the easiest or quickest) means a deliberate choice to endure and not to give up and walk away prematurely out of frustration. 

 

    In a time of great interior struggle or difficulty, a person can choose to patiently wait (or not to wait) for God’s action in their life.  It may seem that the only thing to do is to beg God for His grace and mercy to transform the situation and our inner being.  We can only wait and pray.  Endless questions may assail:  “Will God change this situation?  What does God want?  Will He make the path clear to me?”  Waiting for God’s movement in our lives can seem endless, hopeless, difficult – even painful – because we do not know how (or believe that) it could possibly even change. 

 

    Even if we may sense that there is no clear end in sight for a very long time, yet still we choose to wait patiently for God to act or to reveal His will in a particular situation.  Waiting in these times is an experience of hoping against hope or living in the “bare hope” that Guerric references.  After a prolonged waiting with no end in sight, the question in one’s heart can then become, “How much longer will this time of waiting last?  Is it foolish to keep waiting?  Do I have the strength to continue to wait?  Did God forget me?”    Our expectation of a sooner response or resolution may be not so forthcoming.  It is at times like this when Guerric says we must be faithful to God.  He refers us to the book of Hosea where the bride is told, “You will be waiting for me many days, but you are not to take any other husband or lover.”  Guerric says we must imitate this response of love and faithfulness in times of trial, too.

                                                                                                              

    Perhaps it is easier to wait with joyful expectation for something with some (more or less) definite arrival time – waiting for springtime, a birth, an imminent death or other transition of life.  We know that with some degree of certainty these events (cycles of nature, of life, of humanity) will take place eventually.  We have a clearer sense of what we are waiting for and what is expected and of our own capacity to respond and to be ready. 

 

    Waiting for God in times of great trial and profound mystery teach us to hope and trust in our loving God who does not forget us and who has a plan for each of us.  In our obedient passivity and receptivity we give God the freedom to act and to be in control of our lives and our future.  We cannot rush Him.  The Psalmist perhaps says it best:  “I waited, I waited for the Lord; who bent down and heard my cry”.  (Ps. 39/40:2)  Yes, wait for him.  Let us be faithful and if, at times, your life seems to be and endless Advent season, be patient and wait for the Lord.  He will act.  He will come.