The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” (Ps. 110:1)
I suppose few of us like waiting. King Saul didn’t like waiting. He was supposed to wait until the prophet Samuel arrived to offer a sacrifice before battle. He got impatient and offered it himself, which he wasn’t supposed to do. Almost predictably, Samuel showed up just after Saul had disobeyed because of his impatience.
The Old Testament psalm this week begins with the king waiting for the Lord to vanquish his enemies, but the New Testament read this psalm in a much grander way. For the New Testament Christians, this verse found its greatest meaning in the exaltation of Jesus to God’s right hand. Jesus rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. There, he is waiting for the right time to come to earth a second time to set everything right once and for all.
Jesus has been waiting for that day for two thousand years. There is no waiting we might have to face that comes anywhere close. Sometimes God provides an immediate answer to our prayers. At other times we have to wait on the Lord. Whether now or later, God will eventually vanquish all our enemies, both the human and the figurative ones, whether in this life or the next. Lord, give us the strength and the patience to wait on you!
Wait on the Lord, because God’s timing is perfect.
Ken Schenck is vice president for university partnerships with Campus EUD. He previously served as vice president for Houghton College (NY) and dean of Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University.
© 2022 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
