In every waiting room I have ever been in, there was something in there meant to distract us from thinking about the fact that we are…well, waiting. Old magazines, a tv, a radio, and nowadays our phones. All designed to occupy our time while we wait.
I have been thinking more about waiting and how we can do it well when it comes to God. I’m just sharing with you what’s been knocking around my brain while I contemplate it all.
In The Bible we read about the golden calf in the book of Exodus chapter 32. While Moses is spending an extended period of time on Mount Sinai receiving instruction from God, the Israelites grow restless. They go to Aaron, Moses’ brother and tell him that since no one knows what happened to Moses, they should build a god that they can worship.
Now I should point out that during this time, the visible manifestation of God is resting on Mount Sinai for the nation to see. God was there.
Later in the chapter we see that God gets so angry, but Moses intercedes on their behalf.
But what stands out to me is how much I can be like the Israelites.
When I feel that God is silent, or when I sense stillness in the middle of Him answering my prayer, what do I do? What is the god I build when things seem to not look the way I want? What is the god I long to worship when answers come slowly? Who do I go to for complaining and idol creation?
I think we all do it, right? For me, I worship distraction. When I am not experiencing the answer I want, I distract myself. I go out. I play on my phone. I get lost in a project. Any number of things to pull me from resting my desires and my thoughts on God.
That is the crux of idolatry, it’s ability to pull you from the presence of God. To seduce us from the waiting, the resting, and the stillness that can accompany His timing.
The Pentateuch has so many references to Sabbath. A day of sabbath, a week, a year! Not just God’s invitation to rest, but God’s command to rest (or be punished with death).
Maybe making our requests to God culminates in Sabbath with Him. A time to be still, a time to rest, and a time to not find something to distract from quiet. What if we really took that seriously?
If I am waiting on an answer from God, my rest keeps me from hustling, from complaining, and it keeps me from creating my idol to fill my time and absorb my attention.
When we wait on God, we should enter into Sabbath.