The God Who Waits

In the parable, the owner told his servants to wait: “Let both grow together until the harvest” (Matthew 13:30). Waiting is something God has done again and again in the Bible.

Who God is. When Israel sinned in the desert, Moses prayed and reminded God of His own words: “The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy” (Numbers 14:18).

Longsuffering. Longsuffering means being patient for a long time, even when people keep doing wrong. It does not mean God does not care about sin. It means He holds back His judgment to give people time.

Slow to anger. King David sang, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy” (Psalm 103:8). God is angry at sin, but He is slow to anger and quick to forgive.

The days of Noah. Before the flood, the earth was filled with violence (Genesis 6:11). Even then God waited. “The Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared” (1 Peter 3:20).

A boat in plain sight. Building an ark that size probably took many years. All that time people could see it going up. God's patience was an open door.

A city called Nineveh. Nineveh was a cruel and wicked city. God sent Jonah to warn it. The people turned from their evil ways, and God spared the city (Jonah 3).

The God Jonah knew. Jonah was upset that God was kind to his enemies, because he knew what God is like: kind, merciful and slow to anger. Jonah wanted judgment. God wanted Nineveh saved, even though its people had been cruel enemies of Israel.

God's heart. “As I live,” says the Lord God, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezekiel 33:11).

Kindness that leads home. “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4). God's kindness is meant to bring people back to Him.

Full of compassion. David prayed, “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth” (Psalm 86:15). God's patience comes from His tender heart.

The patience of Jesus. Jesus' disciples argued about who was the greatest, and later they ran away when He was arrested (Mark 9:33-34; Mark 14:50). Jesus did not give up on them. He kept teaching them and welcomed them back.

What to do. Think of a time God was patient with you, and thank Him for it. Then ask Him to help you be patient with someone else, the way He is patient with you.

God is patient, but His patience has a purpose. He is waiting for people to come to Him. In the parable, the waiting ends at harvest time.

The harvest will come. The owner said, “at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers” (Matthew 13:30). The waiting is not forever. God has set the day, even though we do not know it.

Like the days of Noah. Jesus said, “as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37).

Busy and not ready. In Noah's day people were “eating and drinking” and living as if nothing would change. They “did not know until the flood came and took them all away” (Matthew 24:38-39). They had time, but they did not use it.

The door was shut. When Noah's family went into the ark, “the Lord shut him in” (Genesis 7:16). The door that kept them safe also closed. God's patience is an open door, but it is open for now.

Now. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). The best time to come to Jesus is today.

Count your days. Moses prayed, “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Nobody knows how many days they have. A wise person does not put off coming to God.

Not ours to uproot. When a Samaritan village would not welcome Jesus, James and John wanted to call down fire on it. Jesus rebuked them and said, “For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them” (Luke 9:55-56). They were like the servants who wanted to pull up the weeds too soon.

Our job. God has not asked us to sort the world into wheat and weeds. He has asked us to love people and tell them about Jesus while there is still time.

Repent and believe. Jesus' first message was, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). To repent is to turn from sin to God.

Pray for people. Pray for friends and family who do not know Jesus yet. God is patient with them, and He hears your prayers for them.

Jesus welcomes everyone. Jesus said, “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37). No one is too far gone to come to Him.

Come and be saved. “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). That promise is for you, today.

What to do. If you have never trusted Jesus, do not wait. Talk to Him today. If you already belong to Him, write down the name of one person you will pray for every day this week.