In the famous play Waiting for Godot, there is only one scene throughout both of the two acts.
Two men waiting on a country road by a tree. They are waiting for the man Godot, who never comes. Some critics interpret the play as a parody of those who wait and wait for God to show up.
Though we may scoff at such a portrayal of life and its meaning, all too often we end up asking the same kind of question, like - Hey, when is God going to show up? What is He waiting for?
The truth is that the day and the hour are already scheduled - God has established the last hour. It will surely come - we can be certain of that.
The difficulty for us lies in the fact that no man knows the calendar's last date. So we grow restless, and impatient, and we ask ourselves - What's God waiting for? Maybe it isn't really going to happen after all!
This attitude causes us to become careless and complacent, and we become easily distracted from the alert and attentive state in which we should live.
Our questioning finally ends in shame when God turns the question back on us.
"What are YOU waiting for!" God asks us. "What part of 'Be Alert' don't you understand?"
And when the question is turned around on us, we look in the mirror of the law and see our weakness, sinfulness, unfaithfulness, and disobedience. We see our sin and we realize that we need our Savior. We need to look to Him - we need to put our faith and trust in Him alone.
He is the One who gives us what we need to be awake, alert, and ready for action as we live out our lives as pilgrims in this alien land.We have a firm direction for each new day because we know that our captain will return for us someday. We know our final destination.
And we know for whom we wait. We know we can trust Him. We know He always keeps His promises. Though we can't see Him, He is always watching, providing, protecting, directing. He never grows tired or weary - He never sleeps.
He alone helps to accomplish our mission. He alone is the one who sets the time and the date of His arrival. He alone knows when He will come for us. But we can rest assured, for that day will indeed come. The day and the hour will come. It came for the disciples when Jesus was crucified, died, and rose again on the third day. It comes for us as God to us comes through His Word and His promise. And that day will finally come, in a grand climax, when Jesus Christ comes again on the Last Day.
And so on this last day of February, just before the beginning of Lent, we continue to wait on the Lord. And we know that our waiting is not in vain. It has already been fulfilled at Calvary, it is being fulfilled today here among us, and it will be ultimately fulfilled on the Last Day.
So, what are you waiting for? He's waiting for you...
I walked this road
So very long ago
To show the way
So you would know
I walked the road
With holes in my hands and feet
To make the way
Come follow me
No, you are not alone
You will be free indeed
The journey begins and ends with me
One million miles
It starts with a step or two
What are you waiting for?
I'm waiting for you
(Michael W. Smith)
