“But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities …” (Romans 8:25,26)
Waiting on another is hard. We are dependent on their will and actions. We would like them to hurry up, but forcing them to do so is not always possible. They move at their own pace.
Does God ever have to wait? The prodigal’s father had to wait until his son came to his senses in the far country. We read of the Lord’s patience in Isaiah: “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you …” (Isaiah 30:18) The Lord was ready to have mercy upon His people, but their failure to trust in Him caused them to run elsewhere for help. “For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.” (Isaiah 30:15)
So it is that God must wait to be gracious to us. He waits for us to cry out to Him: “… He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.” (Isaiah 30:19)
There is long suffering in having to wait. As long as He would, but we will not, God displays both His patience and long-suffering. Are we willing to show the same to those who are making us wait?
Yes, it is hard to wait, but it is made so much easier if we know that God knows exactly how we feel because He feels it Himself. After all, how long did we make Him wait?