Waiting, and Waiting, and . . .

And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. (Acts 9:9 KJV)

Pretend for a moment that you are very successful, upward mobile, up-to-date, well-trained and you want to show your supervisors that you do the job better than anyone else. You have career goals that have indicated you are the most likely to succeed. You had this idea that should take care of a serious problem, affecting lives around you and the potential to harm others in the future, and you can “fix” it. So, you go to your supervisors and:

And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. (Acts 9:1-2 KJV)

Yep, you knew what was best for these people and you knew how to get them to change. They had been duped by a blasphemer into believing God loved them enough to send His son to provide for them eternally. Of course, you knew better than that, and you can “fix” it. Just wait until they see what you can do!

All that changed in a, literally, blinding moment on the road to Damascus. You met the Son of God and were given instructions:

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. (Acts 9:6 KJV)

Now you are in Damascus, and still blind. Everyone that had been with you on the road must think you’re crazy. They saw nothing but you falling to the ground, and no one is certain what they heard. I wonder if one or two of them left and went back to report your mission was  in jeopardy. So, you wait.

Why eat? What you need may show up any moment? Why sleep? Who could when the next noise might be the answer? Your blindness means you are totally dependent on others as you’ve never been since babyhood. Is this all there is in the future? How long do you wait?

There are other stories in the Bible about people waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled. Many give up, with some drastic results.Look up the story of Joseph, Jacob’s eleventh son. How long did he wait in the pit at Dothan? In the prison  in Egypt? According to scripture, he was promised nothing. At least you, as Paul, were promised that you’d be told what must be done. When?

Does it really matter? That “When”? Does it really matter knowing what’s coming next or when it will arrive?

Paul could have had those traveling with him pack up and return to Jerusalem for the best medical and spiritual care offered for those times. He chose to wait.

He chose to wait, and it changed not only his life but ours. Just the fact that I wrote this and you are reading it hinged on Paul waiting. What are we willing to wait for?