Waiting can be hard. When you’ve been eagerly looking forward to something becoming a reality, you want it to happen as soon as possible. It’s especially hard when the outcome is uncertain. Will things turn out good or bad? What will the test results reveal? Will I get the job, get into the school? Will this relationship work out? Will this endeavor succeed? Will we be able to solve the big problems of our world in time?
There are some things in my own life for which I’ve been waiting and hoping for years. Setbacks can lead to ever greater disappointment, sometimes to the verge of despair. It’s hard to maintain hope in the face of frequent disappointment. Hope can make you vulnerable, and sometimes it’s easier to become cynical. At the same time, we need hope to get through life. To live utterly devoid of all hope is to live in despair.
How often God’s people in the Bible had to wait in hope. Abraham longed to have a child, but he waited decades before God brought it to pass. Joseph was to inherit a position of great authority, but he spent years oppressed and in prison. Israel spent many years in slavery before being set free. God seems to have a purpose in teaching his people to wait. Waiting creates a depth, a poise, and a maturity that cannot grow in an instant, but only by enduring sustained pressure over long periods of time. Pressure can turn a lump of coal into a diamond, but only with time.
For the Christian, we have a hope that is more than wishful thinking (listen to yesterday’s sermon). For those who are in Christ, we have been guaranteed a future glorious destiny, and it infuses our days in this world with buoyancy and strength. Though our present life is marked by groaning, let us wait with steady hope until that day comes. It will be so wonderful that despite whatever we have gone through in this life, it will all have been worth it.
Tim Keller’s Memorial
On Tuesday, August 15, at 2:30 pm, there will be a livestream worship service of praise to God for Tim Keller’s life and ministry. While in-person service is an invitation-only gathering, all are welcome to attend via the livestream.
Upcoming Events
- Aug 15 | Tuesday Morning Men
- Aug 18 | Coffee Club at Rosetta Bakery
- Aug 18 | Coffee Club at Charlotte Cafe
- Aug 19 | Run with W83 Dashers
- Aug 22 | Grief & Loss Support Group
- Aug 22 | Evening West Side Women
- Aug 22 | 20s & 30s Group
- Aug 26 | Put the Guns Down at the Douglass Houses
- Aug 27 | Mandarin-Speaking Group
- Sep 3 | Two Services, One Picnic
- Sep 17 | New at RWS
