Life with God is full of waiting. Delays are part of learning to trust Him and His perfect timing. Because of this, there are so many stories of persistence throughout the Bible. Take a look at the example of Abraham and Sarah who waited right into their old age for a son. Even when God came to confirm the promise, their instruction was to wait for another year. Sarah and Abraham weren’t perfect in their waiting (take a look at Genesis 18 – 21). Sarah laughed at the idea that God would fulfil His promise because she had been waiting so long. But they did eventually come to trust God and wait for Him to move. We can be even worse at waiting than Sarah and Abraham. We skip through adverts, and we only need to ask once to immediately find the answer to any question on our phone. But there’s no skip button when it comes to perseverance. Ephesians 6:18 tells us to pray ‘at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer… keep alert with all perseverance’ (ESV). God asks us to retrain ourselves to ask more than once, and to press on with expectancy and patience for an answer. Later, in Genesis 26:18 - 31, we see the results of this same perseverance in the next generation. Isaac was trying to dig a well, and twice his fresh wells got claimed by the Philistines. Still, he persevered and dug a third time. As Isaac kept digging, he faced no conflict, claimed land that God had promised, and even saw reconciliation with his enemies. If we keep praying, and continue to dig with the faith that our work will eventually be fruitful, then we’ll see God move in unprecedented ways.

What Now?

Next time you find yourself waiting for an appointment, a train, etc., resist the urge to pull out your phone. Spend that time talking to God, praying for something that needs His hand and perspective on it.