A Bible Lesson about the Discipline of Waiting
“Yes, but you’ll have to wait for it.” Our young daughter became accustomed to this oft-repeated reply whenever she made a request to my husband or me. This was not a parental practice of cruelty. Rather, as Christian parents, we wanted to help her develop the discipline of waiting. God often calls on us to wait and trust Him. We wanted to prepare her for those times when the delay of an expectation would be a part of God’s plan for her life.
Waiting is a difficult practice for all of us, but for children, it’s particularly hard. They are born into this world screaming impatiently for their immediate needs to be addressed. They must be purposefully taught the practice of waiting with patience and joy. This article includes a few strategies to help guide children to the biblical discipline of learning to wait on God.
Introduction
Guide students into a discussion about waiting. Questions could include:
- When have you been required to wait for something? (Answers may include waiting in line, waiting for school to be over, or waiting for something special to happen)
- What makes waiting so hard? (Answers may include: it’s boring, if I’m not first, there may not be a place for me, or I would rather be doing something else.)
Explore the consequences of failing to wait by asking these questions.
- What happens if you are running in a race and don’t wait for the signal to begin?
- What happens if you are building something with wood and glue and don’t wait for the glue to dry before putting weight on your project?
- What happens to your cake if you take it out of the oven before the suggested cooking time is completed?
Waiting Activities
Seven Jumps
This is a movement song that involves waiting. (Note: The audio music for Seven Jumps by Shenanigans can be purchased at I-Tunes or Amazon Prime Music. Find video choreography here.
Directions:
Students begin by positioning themselves in a circle around the perimeter of the classroom. For sixteen beats the music plays. Instruct students to walk around the room keeping time with the music.
A violin will hold a note and students must listen and wait for the violin to finish playing before they make their first jump. The faster sixteen-beat music begins and students resume walking until they hear the violin play its long solo note. Remind students that they must listen and wait for the violin to finish before they make every jump. Repeat this pattern seven times.
1st Jump: Lift the right foot and place it on the ground once the note finishes.
2nd Jump: Repeat 1st jump.
Lift the left foot and place it on the ground once the note finishes.
3rd Jump: Repeat 1st and 2nd jumps.
Lift the right knee and place it on the ground once the note finishes.
4th Jump: Repeat 1st, 2nd, and 3rd jumps.
Lift the left knee and place it on the ground once the note finishes.
5th Jump: Repeat 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th jumps.
Lift the right elbow and place it on the ground once the note finishes.
6th Jump: Repeat 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th jumps.
Lift the left elbow and place it on the ground once the note finishes.
7th Jump: Repeat 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th jumps.
Raise the head and place it on the ground once the note finishes.
Walk sixteen more beats and bow at the end of the song.
A Test of Waiting
Click here for a simple test that can be printed and copied for each student. Instruct them to wait to fill in any answers until they have read the entire list of instructions.
Biblically Waiting
Bible verses about waiting
(Taken from the ESV)
Point out to students that God wants us to learn to wait. Assign different children to look up and read the following verses:
- Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! (Psalm 27:14)
- The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. (Lamentations 3:25)
- But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:25)
- And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)
People of the Bible Who Had to Wait on God
Remind students of God’s repeated pattern of making a promise to someone in the Bible followed by a period of waiting, learning, and trusting through a variety of challenges and difficulties. Examples include:
- Abraham
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3)
Abraham waited twenty-five years for his son, Isaac to be born. - Joseph
“Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” (Genesis 37:7)
Joseph was a boy of seventeen years when he had this first prophetic dream. He was in his late thirties before this dream from God was realized. - David
Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. (I Samuel 16:12b-13a)
Most Bible scholars believe David had to wait at least seventeen years before he was anointed as king. He was thirty years old when he became king, but his age at the time of his anointing by Samuel is uncertain.
What are We Waiting For?
Assign students to look up and read the following verses. After reading, ask them what should we be waiting for with anticipation and joy? (The return of Jesus Christ)
- But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:20)
- And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (I Thessalonians 1:10)
- And be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. (Luke 12:36)
What Should We Be Doing While We Wait?
Read Titus 2:11-13 together with students.
- For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
Make a list of how we are being trained while we wait:
- Trained to say no to ungodliness (A person with no place for God in his life lives an ungodly life.)
- Trained to say no to worldly passions (A person who lives for sinful pleasure rather than finding pleasure in God above all else has not said no to worldly passions.)
- Trained to live a self-controlled life-Live sensibly, not yielding to uncontrolled passions or urges
- Trained to live an upright life-Live according to God’s standards of conduct as described in the commandments from His Word
- Trained to live a godly life-Live in devotion to God knowing that He examines your heart. Live in the love of and respect for God.
Closing
Sing: Waiting for the Groom
