Anyone who knows me will be able to tell you I hate waiting! I’m not the most patient of people when it comes down to having to sit about and just wait. I think it’s to do with being in the Navy. There is a common saying in the Navy that you wish your life away. You wish it was the weekend, wish you were in the next port and most importantly you wish time would hurry up so you can be back at home!
Also most people in the Navy are not usually on time; we all get there early. It’s drummed into us from our first day of training; “If your told to be somewhere at 10am youwill be there at 0955 at the latest!” That’s what we call Navy time. So usually everywhere I go im early, which often means im left waiting ages when other people are late. This is also my own fault as I am usually at least 30 minutes early. (Just ask my Corps Officers, im usually at the hall an hour before the meeting.)
There are some major and amazing things happening in my life at the moment. The only problem is they all involve waiting and being patient. Some of the things I have to wait for are happening soon, others I have to wait at least a year for. Perhaps that’s God trying to make me a better person and teach me patience!
We are back in port now, and in 3 days time my girlfriend is flying out to see me for a week’s holiday. It’s been booked for weeks, and the waiting has been unbearable! It has seemed like every day has gone slower and slower. But I am sure the week she is spending out here with me will fly by way to quickly. It has been very hard to wait for something so amazing to happen for so long, but slowly it has got closer and soon she will be here.
I often end up sat about waiting for people, and recently I decided to try and use the time productively and spend it praying; I thought it would be better than sitting doing nothing. It’s amazing how much prayer time you can actually get in when you are just stood about waiting.
I also decided to have a look in the Bible and see what it said about waiting; unsurprisingly it says quite a lot about it. The favourite part I found was in Psalms;
Psalm 130:5-6
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, yes more than watchmen wait for the morning.
I think I like this verse because I know what a night watchman feels like. We often have to do late shifts on the ship and the last few hours of a late shift can seem to drag on for hours and hours; each minute seeming like an hour; all you want is for the duty to be over so you can climb into bed.
It also made me think; am I really hungry for God? Am I really waiting for his Kingdom to come? Am I yearning and getting restless because I am waiting to spend time with him in the same way I am waiting impatiently for my girlfriend to come out here? If I am honest I would probably have to say no.
But then I flipped it around, just because I am not yearning for God like that all the time; that does not mean he is not feeling that way about me. God longs to be close to us, He yearns to be with us and spend time with us; even if we are not so excited or impatient to spend time with him.
That’s an amazing and mind blowing thought really; God the creator of the entire world and universe who knows every single person in the world wants and yearns to spend time with us as individuals!
So next time you are stood about waiting for someone who is late why not pray! Just as you are wishing the person you are waiting for would turn up so you can spend time with them remember; God is waiting patiently to spend time with you! Why not use the time productively and have a chat with the creator of the universe!
The Sailing Salvationist
P.S. Just so you know, due to my little holiday next weeks post will not be on Friday, it will probably be posted on Monday or Tuesday.
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