Why God Makes You Wait

The Folly of Shortcuts and the Way of Wisdom

I want to share a quick story.

A few years ago I was on a mission trip to Croatia. I’ve been on a few mission trips over the years—I love to go away on short missions trips. They keep me focused, they keep me sharp.

Croatia is a beautiful country. If you've never been, it’s absolutely amazing. There are still pockets that have some trouble and hardship. When you walk around some of the old villages, you can still see shell holes in the walls of buildings and whole streets where people haven’t come back yet. There’s a lot of history there, a lot of pain, but it’s still a beautiful, beautiful country.

I was there with a guy called Mike. Mike is Sally’s uncle, and he used to be the Director of Missions into Eastern Europe. We used to go on some really cool trips together. On this particular trip we were in Croatia doing a youth camp, and it was great fun.

One day, just before a service, we thought, “This service is going to go on for a bit today—we should get some food before it starts.” We thought we were being clever, arming ourselves with food in advance. The problem was, I’m not Croatian, I don’t know Croatia very well, and unfortunately neither did Mike.

So we went out to find some food. We’d learned a couple of local words, like the Croatian word for “kebab,” and off we went. Now, who loves a shortcut? Hands up if you love a shortcut. You see the road going one way, but then you spot a field or, in this case, a campsite, and you think, “We can walk through there and cut our journey down by quite some time.”

So that’s what we did. We went to get some food and then tried to cut back through this campsite. We couldn’t find our way, so we found another entrance into the same campsite, walked across it, and then came to a big fence. The fence looked like it went on for miles. I thought, “Oh no, what are we going to do?”

Now, I’m quite short. I like to say I’m five foot ten, but the reality is I’m five foot six—and a bit. The bit’s important, right? I was with Mike, who’s six foot something, and a young guy called Jordan, who’s about six foot two or six foot three.

Mike and Jordan were like, “Let’s climb the fence!” and I was like, “Let’s not climb the fence, guys.” What it was really like was, “No, thank you.” Anyway, we climbed the fence.

Mike tells the story that I left half of my finger at the top of the fence. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but he’s an evangelist—that’s what they do! I did cut my finger on the top of the fence, though.

We were trying to get back because I was playing percussion and speaking in the service. I wrapped my finger in a bandage and we just about got there in time. The leaders of the church were very happy to see us—they’d been wondering where we were. I arrived with this big bandage on my finger and thought, “It’s fine.”

I started playing cajón and it was fine at first. Then I noticed the guy on the front row of the little platform—his was a bit lower than this one—wearing a white shirt. I suddenly saw little spots of red on his white shirt and thought, “What’s going on there?”

I was really going for it, smashing this drum, playing loudly, getting a bit enthusiastic—and more red stuff started appearing on this poor guy’s shirt. They did ask us back, it was fine, and we had a great time. But I ended up needing some work done on my finger. It was not great.

I had taken a shortcut. We didn’t weigh up any risks. We didn’t make wise decisions. And the reason I share that little story is because we’re talking about wisdom—and wisdom very rarely includes a shortcut. Wisdom very rarely includes a shortcut, especially not ones that leave your finger at the top of a fence.

Proverbs 13:11 says this: “Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.” Whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.

Proverbs 20:21 says this: “An inheritance claimed too soon will not be blessed in the end.”

Both of these speak about a word I love—a word I’m definitely still learning: patience. When we talk about the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—today we’re focusing on patience.

Let me give you a quick warning: unless you’re prepared for some painful stuff to happen, don’t pray directly for patience. You won’t just suddenly get it. God doesn’t usually go, “There you are, you are now more patient.” What He generally does is put you through some things that require you to exercise that muscle of patience, so that it can grow.

Cultivating Christlike Patience Over Entitlement

Now, Sally will tell you I am the most patient person in the world – which is exactly why I’m talking about this. The reason I can talk about it is because this is an issue I have. I can be a little bit impatient.

I’m going to ask for some honesty this morning: anybody here ever get impatient? Yes? Thank you for your honesty.

I’ll tell you another story that happened to me this week that just shows you how impatient I can be. I’m off work at the moment, and I’ve got a little routine going where I walk into town, get a coffee, do some reading – just to keep my brain ticking over and my body ticking over as well.

So I walked into town and went into a coffee shop. I won’t tell you which one; I don’t want to advertise anything. I’m standing there waiting, and there are a few people in the queue before me. Two people ahead, there’s a guy having a full-on conversation with the barista about their personal lives. And I’m standing there thinking, “Dude, I want my coffee. What are you doing?”

Then he orders the most ridiculous drink – a frappa-mocha-whatever-it-was – and then they just carry on the conversation. And I’m thinking, “Come on…” My drink is really simple, just a cold brew because it was nice weather. Really, really simple.

Anyway, I get to the counter and say, “Cold brew, to take out please.” But I was so grumpy. It had properly affected me. Just this guy having a conversation with somebody had made my impatience grow so much in that queue.

Now, that’s a really silly little incident, but it points to a deeper thing, something a bit more difficult to deal with. It’s this: a sense of entitlement.

I thought I was entitled to go in there and get served as quickly as possible, regardless of what they were doing. That conversation could have been really important to those people. It could have been the only real conversation that person had had all week. It could have been anything, couldn’t it? And there’s me, just worrying about waiting three extra minutes for my cup of coffee. How ridiculous.

I need to be honest now. Hands up if you’ve ever been in a situation a bit like that, where you’ve had to check yourself. I walked out of that coffee shop and I almost physically did it – I almost gave myself a slap round the face and said, “This is not good enough, Mr B. This is not good enough. To be that level of impatient with somebody when they’re just having a conversation – that is not great.”

Patience is really, really important. So I’m going to ask a couple of questions this morning.

True Wealth, Contentment, and Lasting Gain

We’ve learned from Proverbs that wealth gained quickly rarely lasts.

Now, I wouldn’t say I’m wealthy in Western terms. But in world terms, we are all, in this room, relatively wealthy, aren’t we? We should probably always remember that. I don’t consider myself wealthy by the standards of our culture, but compared to many parts of the world, we have so much.

I sometimes struggle with the language of being “blessed,” because it can sound as if people in other parts of the world aren’t blessed. So let’s say this: we are blessed to be warm where we are, and we are fortunate to have what we have.

But here’s what I do know: if I spend my life wishing for a windfall, it can be gone just as fast as it arrives.

Anybody here a fan of Only Fools and Horses? Some of the younger ones might not know it—sorry about my TV references! What was the phrase Del Boy used to say at the end of the show? “This time next year, we’ll be millionaires.”

In one particular episode, they actually do become millionaires. They find a watch in a garage that’s worth millions, they sell it, and suddenly they have all this money. But it goes—just like that.

There are countless stories like that: people who win the lottery, who suddenly receive millions and have no idea what to do with that newfound wealth. And within a few years, it’s gone. Just gone.

Patience, Character, and Lasting Riches

There’s something about preparation, and about slowly gaining something, that actually helps us to keep hold of it. The process itself does something in us. There’s that phrase, “Talent will get you to the top, but character will keep you there.” Character will outlast talent every time. That’s what we’re talking about this morning. It’s a matter of character, not just a matter of talent.

We also know that speed often sacrifices sustainability. A few years ago, we were able to buy a house off-plan in Newark. We never thought we’d be in that position, but we were, and it was amazing. Every time we walked past our house being built, you could see a little bit of progress. I loved that—just a little bit more done each day. You get to the point where they put the windows in and you think, “Yes, it’s not going to get rained in anymore,” then the roof goes on, and every time you pass there’s just that steady, visible progress.

I’d be really worried if we walked past one day and there were only foundations, and then the next day it was completely finished. I’d be thinking, “What on earth has happened here?” Because there’d be nothing to say the work had been done properly. It would feel rushed, thrown together, and you’d worry it could fall down at any moment.

It’s the same when we’re talking about our finances, and it’s the same when we’re talking about our ministries and the things we’re involved in. Very often God takes us on a journey so we can discover who we are and work out our purpose, rather than just dropping us straight into something overnight. Now, that does happen on occasion—God can move suddenly—but most of the time we go through a process. Most of the time it feels like slow going, doesn’t it?

Has anyone ever had a promise from God and it didn’t come to pass the next day? Slow going, right? Do we get a little impatient? Absolutely. And actually, a tiny bit of impatience isn’t always a bad thing, because at least it shows we still want it and we’re still moving towards it. But really, it’s about taking the time to understand what God says about us, figuring out what that means, and then asking God to drop something of that truth into our hearts.

Sustainable Faith for Future Generations

Hands up if you were here last week. I’m getting used to a lot of hands up, aren’t I? Sorry about that… actually, I’m not sorry at all. It just helps keep us engaged.

It was an incredible week. Pastor Sean from Bridge Church in Lincoln spoke, and I know a lot of people received a real word from God about plans and purposes and things they want to be involved in. We’re really keen to keep that conversation going.

But I want to add a caveat: let’s not all rush out and do loads of crazy stuff straight away. Let’s be wise, let’s make good choices, let’s make good decisions. As we move into a new building, it’s really important we don’t just go, “Let’s do this project, that project, this project, that project,” and then three months later we’ve run out of money and we’re saying, “Miss Martin, can we come back to the school please?” We don’t want to be in that position. We want to be in a position where what we’re doing is sustainable and has an impact for future generations in Newark.

A few years ago I was in New York on a missions trip. If you’ve never been on a missions trip, come and talk to me – we’ll get you out on mission. It’s so exciting, it’s so good. We were working with Metro World Child, doing sidewalk Sunday school. They use those big yellow school buses they have in New York, with the side pulled down, big PA speakers, loads of silly dances, music and drama, and then someone preaches the gospel.

Once a week, on a Saturday, they bus everyone into church. They have about five services, and around 800 kids in each service, bussed in from all over the city. It’s absolutely incredible. It’s led by a guy called Bill Wilson – phenomenal ministry. It blew my mind.

We had an audience with Bill Wilson, which was amazing. We asked him, “How has your ministry grown to this level? This is insane. How has it grown like this?” And he said, “We’ve just been here. We’ve just been here.” It didn’t explode overnight.

He’ll tell stories – I won’t share them all because they’re his testimony – but some of them are absolutely horrific. Yet they stayed present. I will share this one: he got shot in the face, and three days later he was back at work. Now, we’d say today there are probably some safeguarding issues around that. We should probably not allow people to go back to work three days after being shot in the face. We’d want them to have some more time off and some counselling, and we’re probably right. We’re not here to judge that. But the point is, he was always present.

For generations, they were present. It grew slowly and steadily, and then it started to snowball and get really big. We might say it was “successful” in terms of numbers, and we don’t always measure success that way, but we do measure it in impact. And it was impacting a lot of people. But it took time. It didn’t happen overnight. It took the persistence of being present, generation after generation.

New York is a dangerous city. I could tell you a story about when I went to buy some trainers in New York, but I won’t do that now. When we first arrived, we thought we’d have lots of people with us to guard us and be with us all the time. This is what they did instead: they gave us a T-shirt and said, “Stay together.”

On this T-shirt was a bear called Yogi – they’d basically adopted Yogi Bear as their mascot. So we had blue T-shirts with Yogi Bear on them. I wasn’t feeling particularly safe. I was thinking, “Is this stab-proof? Bulletproof?” Nope. I think it was probably just Fruit of the Loom. So I’m putting this Fruit of the Loom T-shirt on thinking, “This is it. This is the plan?”

But here’s what was fascinating: when people put that T-shirt on, people recognised you. They’d go, “Ah, it’s Yogi Bear! It’s Yogi Bear!” You’d have people across the street you’d never met before shouting, “Hey, Yogi Bear!” Because over time they had built up this reputation. They had just been there, just been present.

So there was actually an element of protection in the respect they had from all of those people, simply because they’d been consistently present over a long period of time.

The Ministry of Simple Presence

Listen, the ministry of Jesus is sometimes just the ministry of presence.

We were talking last week, weren’t we, about how we’re not always very good at lamenting as Pentecostals. This week I’ve had an opportunity just to sit with somebody in a situation where I can’t do anything to fix it. Nothing. All you can do is be present.

I want to suggest to you this week: maybe let’s not always look for the next project or the next big thing. Just try being present where you are. Just try being present.

This is a challenge for me. Hands up if you’ve got a mobile phone. Hands up if you’ve ever been in the middle of a conversation with somebody, and your phone is in your pocket or on the table if you’re meeting for coffee, and it buzzes or it lights up a little bit, and you find yourself thinking, “Who is that? What’s going on?” Anybody do that?

I keep finding myself challenged about this again and again, and I’m still not learning as quickly as I should. What is so important about that notification? That’s not this. This, right here, is my ministry right now.

Your ministry right now is what is in front of you. Don’t always look for the massive stuff. You may get there one day, but you’ll get there by doing what’s in front of you now—by consistently showing up and being present.

Ministry isn’t built on something that just happens overnight. It’s built on foundations that take time to build, time to get right, and time to be made solid.

Partnering With God’s Patient Work

Now, something for you to think about: what is God slowly building in your life?

Just take a moment. Close your eyes. I’m not going to put any soft music on. It’s okay, you won’t fall asleep, and unfortunately I don’t have that kind of soothing voice anyway. Just close your eyes for a second.

What is it that God is slowly building? Not the big bombshell that’s going to explode with a dramatic “ta‑da,” but the slow, steady work. What is it that God gave you years ago that still hasn’t come to pass, but you know—deep down—you know it’s still there?

Where are the shortcuts we sometimes take to try and force God’s hand?

Okay, open your eyes.

I just wanted to get you thinking this morning about those particular things in your life that God is building. God is building slowly, patiently. That’s not to say we shouldn’t have a sense of urgency, because there are some things we all need to take responsibility for.

For instance, sharing the gospel. Please don’t wait for God to patiently build you into something that’s “ready” before you go out and share the good news. That will not happen. That happens by doing it—wisely, with compassion, and with love, as the Bible says. That’s not the kind of thing we need to sit around and wait for.

If God has called you to a prayer ministry, don’t sit and wait, saying, “Lord, when?” Prayer ministry starts now.

You see, God builds. And if what we’re doing is “waiting patiently,” because patience is important, but only for one big thing to happen all at once, then there’s no building involved—that’s just a magic trick.

Now, God does do miracles. (Read my hoodie: “God did.” I didn’t buy it specifically for that, by the way!) God does miracles, and he can turn things around just like that. He did it with my life. He did it with your life. But a lot of the time, what God does is work slowly in us, changing us bit by bit, knocking the edges off. “Iron sharpens iron.” He makes us well-rounded—me more well-rounded than some others—well-rounded as Christians so we can live the life God has called us to live.

Because he has already equipped us with everything we need for life and for godliness. Everything. It’s there already. But let’s partner with God in patient building. Let’s partner with God in building patiently towards those ministries and those things that God has called us to do.

I went home last week really excited about the buzz that was in the room. I’ve experienced lots of “buzzes” in rooms before. I’ve experienced a buzz in a cinema when the sound quality wasn’t very good—leave that one with you. I’ve experienced a buzz in a room at a gig where the band has been phenomenal—not the one where I’ve been the support act, but where the band has been phenomenal. There’s a buzz in the room.

I’ve been in church services where you feel something tangible—“Ah, the Holy Spirit is doing something.” There’s a buzz in the room. It feels amazing. It’s a tangible experience. And I went home feeling that tangible sense that God had spoken to people that day. Sal and I were talking about making sure we don’t lose that. Not that we’re chasing or trying to recreate it either—we’re not chasing yesterday—but we do want to build patiently.

Build patiently on what God has given you.

Some of you will have had a word from God last week, and you’ve never experienced that before. Can I encourage you, if you haven’t done so already, please write it down. Write it down. Put a note on your phone if you need to, but get a notebook—anything—and write it down. Date it. Time it. Who said it. It could simply be, “I felt the Lord say…” or “Sian said this, and it made me feel this, like I ought to do this.” I’m giving you sentence starters.

I want to encourage you to do that because sometimes those words are part of the plans. We talked a little bit about foundations; we also need a plan, and those things are part of the plan. They’re written down so we can go back to them when we’re not feeling it.

I’ll be honest: God spoke to me years ago about a couple of things that Sal and I would be involved in. And then it didn’t happen. And then I had times when I just wasn’t feeling it. Anyone been in that situation? God said to us, “One day you’ll do this,” and then we waited. And because it didn’t happen, we tried to force some things to happen that weren’t right. Not bad things, by the way—they were all good things we were going after—but it wasn’t the right time for us. We weren’t patient.

And let me tell you, living in that tension in the meantime is sometimes really, really difficult. But God sustains us in that time. Those are the times we are learning. Those are the times we are equipping ourselves.

Living Within God’s Sustaining Purpose

These are the times when we really begin to get to grips with the plan and the purpose that God has for each and every one of us. Because he does. Whatever your age, whatever your life situation, he has plans and purposes for you.

But let me just free your mind a little bit on this. Don’t think that those plans and purposes are set out like a little tightrope that you have to walk: “If I move, I’ll fall off. I can’t put a foot wrong. I’m not steady enough.” It’s not like that.

Of course God has plans and purposes for you. But we’re all human beings, and God actually wants you to have choices. God wants you to be safe. I once heard it described as a field with fences. He’s not going to let you fall off a cliff. But it’s not a tightrope.

Yes, it’s a narrow path, but it’s not a tightrope. There’s a big difference between a tightrope and a path. If you stumble off a path, you can get back on the path. If you stumble off a tightrope—let’s say it’s across the Grand Canyon—well, that’s a very different story.

So many people, when I was growing up as a Christian, thought like this. When I was 15 or 16 and became a Christian, I always thought God had this one plan and this one purpose, and if I stepped outside of that, or if I got it wrong, then God couldn’t bless me at all. That’s crazy thinking. That’s not what it is to be human.

God has created us with free will. There is no love without free will. Otherwise we’re just beings that do everything God says because we have no choice. Now, we obey him because we love him, not because we’re made to.

I’ve gone a bit off piste there—sorry, apologies for that, band! See how subtle that was? One thing I don’t do is subtle very well.

Band, can we have you on the stage, please? We’re going to sing this song, “Make Room.” We’re going to make room. I don’t want you to necessarily stand and sing and worship at this point. I want the musicians to play over us, if you like.

Take some space. Take some time. It’s no good us saying, “We’ll give time for this,” and then telling you what to do in that time. So we’re going to give about five minutes of space for you. You can stand and worship, you can kneel and worship, you can do what you need to do.

After that, we’ll come together at the end and pray for one another before we go out. And then there will be a prayer team down here as well. So if there’s something specific that you want prayer for, please come and receive prayer.

I think it’s me and Ann today. If you’re lucky, you’ll get Ann, because she’s a much better pray-er than I am. So please, if you do need some prayer today, come down to the front and we will make that happen.