圣经中关于“等待”的主题

I once took the opportunity, while sitting in the doctor's waiting room, to think about the theme of waiting in the Bible. There were 5 things that came to mind:

1. Waiting Is Inescapable: Abraham and Sarah waited decades for their promised son. Israel waited for centuries to be delivered from Egypt, then another 40 years for the Promised Land. The Old Testament prophets waited for the coming of the Messiah. We all wait in anticipation for the Second Coming of Christ. Don't be surprised when you have to wait; it's part of the history of God's people.

2. Waiting Is Refreshing: Waiting immediately announces that we're not in control. When God calls us to wait, He's lovingly refreshing us of the fact that Someone wiser and stronger is in charge of the narrative of our lives. God is God and we are not. Sometimes we need to be put in our place (see Job 38), and waiting is one of God's refreshing tools.

3. Waiting Is Revealing: Whenever I'm forced to wait, I find that I'm easier to agitate, prone to rude words and behaviors, and focused more on my pleasure that other's needs. Just like God uses waiting to announce His kingship, He also uses waiting to reveal the selfishness of my heart and make me seek restoring and redeeming grace.

4. Waiting Is Productive: Psalm 27:4 says, "Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage." This means that God never wastes our waiting, frivolously prolonging what we get at the end of the wait. Rather, waiting is fundamentally about who we become as we wait. Waiting should always build character.

5. Waiting Is Temporary: One day, the former things will pass away (Revelation 21:4), and that includes waiting. In the meantime, God intends that waiting would make us hungry for eternity. This life isn't our final destination; it's a preparation for a final destination, and waiting is meant to produce in you a God-honoring dissatisfaction with the status quo.

So the next time you're in the waiting room at the doctor's office, or the next time you're stuck in traffic, or the next time you find yourself waiting for a late spouse or child, don't just grumble and moan. Remind yourself that waiting is biblical, that waiting is beautiful, and that the God who calls you to wait is loving.

Waiting is changing you, and it's also helping you to be a tool of change in others who are waiting. Find joy in that wait! 

~Paul David Tripp （Facebook）

有一次，在等待看医生的间隙，我借机思考了圣经中关于“等待”的主题。我脑海中浮现出五点：

1. 等待是无法回避的：亚伯拉罕和撒拉为了那个应许之子等待了几十年。以色列人等待了几个世纪才脱离埃及，随后又在旷野等待了四十年才进入应许之地。旧约先知们等待着弥赛亚的降临。我们也都满怀期待地等待基督的第二次降临。当你不得不等待时，不必感到惊讶；这是神子民历史的一部分。

2. 等待能让人清醒：等待即刻表明，我们无法掌控局面。当神呼召我们等待时，祂是在充满爱意地提醒我们：有一位比我们更智慧、更强大的主宰在掌管我们生命的历程。神是神，而我们不是。有时我们需要认清自己的位置（参看《约伯记》38章），而等待正是神用来让我们清醒的工具之一。

3. 等待能显明内心：每当我被迫等待时，我发现自己更容易烦躁，容易说出粗鲁的话语或做出失礼的举动，并且更多地关注自己的享乐而非他人的需要。正如神利用等待来彰显祂的王权，祂也利用等待来显明我内心的自私，促使我寻求那带来复兴与救赎的恩典。

4. 等待富有成效：《诗篇》27篇4节说：“要等候耶和华！当壮胆，坚固你的心！”这意味着神绝不会浪费我们的等待，也不会无谓地拖延我们最终将要获得的应许。相反，等待的本质在于我们在等待过程中所塑造的品格。等待应当总是能造就我们的品格。

5. 等待是暂时的：终有一天，旧事都要过去（《启示录》21章4节），这其中也包括等待。在此期间，神的心意是让等待激发我们对永恒的渴慕。今生并非我们的最终归宿，而是通往最终归宿的预备；等待旨在让你对现状产生一种尊荣神的“不满”——即不满足于现状，而渴望那更美好的永恒。所以，下次当你身处诊所候诊室、堵在车流中，或是等待迟到的配偶或孩子时，不要只是抱怨连连。要提醒自己：等待合乎圣经的教导，等待是美好的，而那位呼召你等待的神是充满慈爱的。

等待正在改变你，同时也助你成为他人生命中的改变媒介，去影响那些同样在等待的人。要在等待中寻得喜乐！