Like many of you, I’ve always been fascinated by people who have overcome extreme obstacles. I’m drawn to stories about resilient people who have endured impossible circumstances. Recently, I’ve been reading about the Jewish community living in Warsaw, Poland, during World War II. Beginning in October of 1940, thousands of Jews in Warsaw and surrounding areas were forced from their homes and into a designated area of the city known as the “Warsaw Ghetto.” The ghetto was a 1.3-mile section of the city enclosed by a ten-foot wall topped with barbed wire and heavily guarded by the Nazis. An estimated 400,000 Jews were forced into ghetto—an average of 7.2 people per room.
Everyone in the ghetto experienced poverty, hunger, overcrowding, violence, threat of disease, malnutrition, illness, and constant trauma. The Jewish community lived under constant threat of death and routinely saw fellow Jews murdered by the Nazi guards. As I read about this dark period in history, one thing that stood out was how much time the Jewish community spent waiting. They waited to hear updates about the War. They waited to hear if Allied troops were advancing. They waited on food rations. They waited to hear if loved ones were dead or alive. They waited to learn if they’d be taken to concentration camps. They waited to see if they’d survive outbreaks of typhus and tuberculosis. They waited to see if they’d survive the winter. They waited to learn if they’d live or die.
As the Jews waited, they did what they needed to do to survive. They cooked with meager food rations, cleaned their living quarters, and did everything possible to prevent the spread of disease. When there was food, they shared meals, bartered for goods and services, cared for the young and old, and tended to the sick. The devout prayed, and the Jewish rabbis ministered. Practically speaking, they kept doing the next wise thing.
It made me wonder, during trying times, what does it look like for Christians to “wait well?”
Hopefully, none of us will find ourselves in such horrendous circumstances as the Jews during the Holocaust. They experienced a degree of suffering that most of us will never know. But undoubtedly, we will all encounter stressful seasons of waiting when we have no clue how things will turn out. I call these seasons “waiting in the dark.” Waiting in the dark might include a dire medical diagnoses, unemployment, a troubled marriage, a prodigal child, grief, crippling depression and anxiety, and a long list of other maladies that harass humankind.
If you’ve experienced a long season of waiting, you know it’s tempting to give up and give in to despair. But doing so is never a good idea and sometimes isn’t an option. Sometimes, we just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other whether we want to or not. While we wait, it’s also tempting to take matters into our own hands. Clearly, there are productive things we can do while wait, but often times we error when we feel desperate and act impulsively. So, how do we wait well?
In Romans 12, the apostle Paul has a mouthful to say about Christian ethics and how to live well in any circumstance. Romans 12:12 gives us three excellent commands that I believe apply well to a season of waiting. The apostle Paul wrote:
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, and be persistent in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
- Rejoice in hope. Biblical hope differs from worldly hope. Worldly hope is passive and is no more than a wish. Biblical hope isn’t passive—it means to anticipate that God will do as He has promised. During a prolonged season of waiting, holding onto God’s promises is imperative. Say them out loud. Pray them. Remind God of what He’s promised. In other words, “rejoice in hope.”
- Be patient in affliction. Often, we are surprised by suffering. Our fellow Christians living in other parts of the world are not. As Christians living in the West, many of us have enjoyed long seasons of ease and are caught off guard when trouble comes. But Jesus warned, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Obviously, suffering is miserable and we want to get through it as quickly as possible. But when we are forced to endure a season of suffering, we can be assured that this time will eventually come to a close. As we wait, we’d be wise to ask God for the grace to hang strong for as long as it takes
- Persist in prayer. If you’ve been waiting a long time, it’s easy to wonder whether or not God has forgotten you. Perhaps you’ve prayed for so long that you’ve stopped or don’t pray as often as you used to. The Bible instructs us to persist in prayer for as long as necessary. As we pray, God strengthens us and gives us the grace we need to press on. Sometimes, God changes our circumstances—other times, God changes us. Either way, prayer is vital.
There are numerous things we have little or no control over. But we can always control how we respond to any given situation. If we’re forced into a season of waiting—we can choose to wait well. Keep doing the next wise thing. Press on and don’t consider giving up. And above all: Rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, and persist in prayer (Rom. 12:12)
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