There’s something in most of us that struggles with waiting. Maybe it’s sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the interstate (one word: Atlanta), watching the estimated arrival time on the GPS continue to creep later and later. Maybe it’s the frustration of an airport delay, surrounded by other frustrated strangers, while wondering why nothing seems to be moving forward with flights. Or maybe it’s not travel at all. Maybe it’s waiting on an answered prayer, a job opportunity, healing, direction, or simply clarity about what comes next. We are people who naturally lean toward the future, always trying to get to the next thing, and in doing so, we often miss the present moment right in front of us.
I remember family road trips from Gulfport, Mississippi to Booneville, Mississippi to visit my mom’s side of the family. It was about seven hours in the car, and as a child, I measured the trip by the “big towns” along the way. Each town felt like proof that we were getting closer to my Granny’s house in the little town of Wheeler. I was always counting miles without realizing it. Even now, though I consider myself a fairly patient person, I would not be surprised if somewhere along those drives I asked my dad the timeless question every parent hears: “Are we there yet?”
That question is not just for children in the backseat of a car. It is often the question of the human heart. We want things to happen now. We assume that our timing is the best timing and that our understanding of the journey is complete. Yet so often, God is unfolding something larger than we can fully see in the moment. In recent years, people have used the word mindfulness1 to describe the practice of being fully present and aware without becoming consumed by anxiety, distraction, or anticipation. In many ways, scripture continually calls us into this kind of attentive presence before God. The disciples themselves struggled with this very thing as they waited and wondered what Jesus would do next.
When the apostles had come together, they asked Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.
—Acts 1:6-142
The disciples wanted certainty about the future. They wanted to know if this was finally the moment when everything would be made right. Instead of giving them a detailed timeline, Jesus gave them a promise: the Holy Spirit would come, and God’s work would continue. Their task was not to control the timing, but to remain faithful in the waiting. So they returned to Jerusalem, gathered together, prayed together, and waited together. There is something deeply comforting about that image. They did not have every answer, but they stayed present with God anyway.
The good news for us is that the Holy Spirit has come, bringing both power and comfort to God’s people. God is still at work in ways we cannot always see. There are good things ahead, even when the road feels long and uncertain. But the journey of faith rarely unfolds according to our preferred schedule. Patience truly is a virtue, not because waiting is enjoyable, but because waiting teaches us trust. We do not need to force God to move according to our plans. Instead, we can learn to walk faithfully within His plan, even if we can only see the next step before us.
So when impatience begins to rise in your heart this week, pause for a moment. Take a breath. Remember the ways God has carried you before. Recall that even in seasons of uncertainty, you are still held securely in His hands. And as a child of God, may you walk confidently this week in who you are in Him. His plans for us are far greater than anything we could imagine on our own.
O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
—Book of Common Prayer3
Luke Gambill 