The Waiting Place

Sarah
4 days ago
6 min read

These days we buy now and pay later, binge watch tv, want the miracle cure and have it all delivered to our front door. We live in a culture that hates to wait; where waiting is viewed as wasted time, and busyness is praised. Over the past decade I have seen this culture of busyness creeping into our churches. I first spoke about it at a women’s meeting in 2018, and it only gotten worse since then. Busyness is worn by many as a badge of honour, something to be proud of, boasting in a lack of time. ‘Busy’ has even replaced our standard response to, “How are you?”

But how does God view waiting?

The Bible talks of 2 sisters, Mary and Martha, they feature in 3 different events recorded during Jesus’ earthly ministry. The first is a meal at Martha’s house, where she is serving (Luke 10:40), but her sister isn't: Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word. (Luke 10:39) It is an image of reverence and humility, you can imagine her listening intently, eagerly hearing the words of the Lord. But Martha was too busy to sit and listen to Jesus. And just like a sibling, Martha didn’t ask Mary directly to help, rather she went to a higher authority, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. (Luke 10:40) Considering Martha was busy with serving (literally the word ministry) Jesus’ answer is somewhat surprising:

Martha, Martha, thou are careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

(Luke 10:41-42)

Jesus tells Martha that she is anxious and worried; and doesn’t that describe exactly how so many of us feel in this world today? However, Mary had chosen the ‘good part.' And get this, one of the definitions for good here is joyful, Mary had chosen the joyful part! Sitting at Jesus’ feet listening brought her joy; but Martha is missing something, the one needful thing. Jesus knows that what Martha really needs is to sit at his feet and listen, she would find joy in being, not doing.

The next time we see Mary and Martha is at the death of their brother Lazarus. John records that when Jesus first heard that Lazarus was sick, "he abode two days still in the same place where he was.” (John 11:6) Jesus waited 2 extra days after hearing that Lazarus was sick! And John tells us he waited for the benefit of the others: “to the intent that ye may believe.” (John 11:15) His waiting had a purpose. The waiting wasn’t a waste of time, even though it led directly to Lazarus’ death. When Jesus finally arrives in Bethany, three times it is said that if he had been there Lazarus would not have died: by Martha (John 11:21), the crowd (John 11:37), and by Mary:

Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. (John 11:32)

Everyone present thought that Jesus’ waiting had lead to the wrong end.

At the grave Jesus raises Lazarus to life and, many of the Jews which came…and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. (John 11:45) By the next chapter, the Pharisees are plotting not only to kill Jesus but also Lazarus, because by reason of him many Jews went away, and believed on Jesus. (John 12:11) Waiting allowed Jesus to perform a miracle that brought about the salvation of many. The waiting had a purpose, it wasn’t a waste of time in God’s plans.

John 12 records a third gathering attended by Mary and Martha. Lazarus recently raised from the dead is at the table with Jesus. Martha is serving again. But Mary?

Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. (John 12:3)

Mary was worshipping at Jesus feet, and Jesus defended her actions saying, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. (John 12:7) Mary ‘kept’ the ointment for this particular day. Kept means to hold onto, to preserve or to wait to use. She couldn’t have known that Jesus would soon be crucified, but God did, and led her to wait till this day to use the ointment. The waiting had a purpose.

We must consider that maybe Martha never learnt and didn’t change. We aren’t given an insight into Martha’s thoughts or feelings at this later event. But if Martha is serving alone, again, perhaps she never heeded Jesus’ words and advice. Perhaps Martha remained in her troubled state of mind. But Mary knew the one needful thing, the good part, was being at Jesus’ feet. In each of the events it is where we see her. First, Mary listens at Jesus’ feet, secondly she fell at Jesus’ feet and spoke to him, and thirdly she worshipped at Jesus’ feet. Sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening, praying and worshipping, is the joyful path, as we wait for the promises.

But the world has taught us that waiting is wasted time and as a result we get impatient, whether it is going through a specific trial or just the waiting room of life. So we try to fill our waiting, even if it’s with busywork. Busywork is a task given by teachers that has little or no educational value and is used to keep students occupied. Think about that, busywork is an activity that has no benefit but keeps you busy anyway. Honestly, how much of your day or week could be considered busywork? And if that busywork (insert: doomscrolling, binge-watching, gaming, window shopping etc.) stops you sitting at Jesus’ feet, where does it lead?

So, when we find ourselves in circumstances where waiting on the Lord is the only option, like in the bottom of a pit, or walking through a valley; we feel a sense of waste and despair because we believe waiting is wasted time. We pray for the miracle and if it doesn’t come we feel frustrated. We start searching internally for the answer, blaming ourselves for being 'stuck', because we think Christianity is meant to be better than this.

But our focus is off, because we remember Joseph was made second in command, but forget he was separated from his father for 22 years (Genesis 39 - 47). We remember the manna but brush over the 40 years of wandering. We remember David was crowned as king, but forget he was pursued by Saul for a decade (eg 1 Samuel 23). We never consider the heartache of the prophets sent to unrepentant king after king (i.e. Elijah, Elisha, Amos and Hosea). We remember the victory but forget the siege (1 Kings 6:25 - 7:16). We remember Daniel but forget he spent most of his life exiled in a foreign country. We remember the miracles, but forget when God said, wait longer.

We forget that in God’s plans waiting has a benefit beyond me. Often we are guilty of thinking Christianity is all about me, because we've heard sermon after sermon telling us it is, about how God is working everything for my good (Romans 8:28). But Paul actually writes corporately, in the plural,

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

The verse really says it is for our good, and sometimes my pain or waiting is for the benefit of someone else. Mary and Martha lost a brother for the salvation of others, Joseph was sold as a slave to rescue the Israelites, and Jesus was crucified for us all. Sometimes my dark valley means others are helped.

What would you exchange for the salvation of someone else or to help someone in need? Paul writes he would even give up his own eternal salvation for the Jewish nation (Romans 9:3), and Moses makes a similar offer to God when the Israelites worship the golden calf (Exodus 32:32). What are the souls of others worth to you? Would you walk a dark valley for them? Would you sit in a pit for them? Would you lay down your life for a friend (John 15:13)?

And when we realise that this life is the waiting room because the promises are still coming, that by waiting God is giving people time to find him, we see God’s mercy in the waiting (2 Peter 3:9). This life is the Monday to Friday slog, but the weekend is coming. So, we persevere now because we know God’s rest is coming (Hebrews 4:9).

Waiting has a purpose and a benefit, it isn’t wasteful, it is God’s timing. We already know the ending, we have the future promises: the hope of a perfect, eternal future. Remember, the word hope literally means wait. In Lamentations, Jeremiah writes, The Lord is good unto them that wait for him (3:25a). Not just good things in this life, the promises are so much greater than that: eternal life, dwelling forever in the new earth with God in glory, all our sin and tears gone forever! The future promises are what keep us going, and we can sit at Jesus' feet as we wait for the promises with joy.