1130 Let go of impatience and wait (Jeremiah 33:14-15)

1. Faith and Impatience
Most people today are impatient. They struggle with waiting. Korea is a leader in internet speed, and people get frustrated when the internet is slow. They want their food to come quickly at restaurants too. People find it hard to sit still and wait. They use their smartphones even while walking, and they rush busily up subway escalators. Those accustomed to instant culture find it difficult to cultivate patience. There is a strong belief that being slow is seen as laziness and that slowness makes it impossible to survive in a competitive society. However, when impatience becomes excessive, it becomes a problem.
Fruit requires time to ripen and a process of patience. Similarly, our faith requires times of waiting rather than impatience. Faith matures and is perfected through waiting and patience. The Advent season, which begins today, carries the significant theme of waiting. It is a time to wait with meaning for the birth of Jesus Christ who came to this earth, and to await the Lord’s presence in our hearts and lives. Waiting requires patience. To become people who wait, we must let go of impatience. Therefore, as we enter Advent, we hope to let go of impatience, reflect on "waiting," and strengthen our faith even more.

2. Resisting the Temptation of Impatience
Our faith is about living with the hope of the Lord’s coming. Hope requires waiting. Yet, there is a temptation that hinders waiting—the impatience to quickly achieve visible results.
There is a new term called "FIRE tribe," an acronym for "Financial Independence, Retire Early." These are people who dream of early retirement through financial independence. People want to succeed quickly and live a free and comfortable life as soon as possible. However, even those who achieve this often find that reality does not meet their expectations. Living without a clear purpose, even among those who work hard, does not always bring satisfaction. When we obsess over visible outcomes, we easily miss the happiness of the present.
True satisfaction does not come from a windfall or instant wealth. It must come from the satisfaction and happiness gained through waiting and patience. Abraham, too, received God’s promise of a son, but it took 25 years for that promise to be fulfilled. Unable to wait for the promise, he resorted to human means and fathered Ishmael through Hagar, but this was not the child of God’s promise.
Everyone wants to see visible results quickly. However, God’s promises are fulfilled not for the impatient, but for those who wait with patience.

3. Those Who Do Not Lose Hope in Waiting
Waiting is not easy. It is difficult because the process of waiting can be painful and uncertain, causing inner conflict. Many people give up halfway, feeling helpless and viewing the time spent waiting as wasted. The point at which people give up and stop is called the "limit situation." However, growth emerges precisely when we push beyond that limit. Then, joyful times inevitably arrive.

Faith is about living without abandoning hope, even when our current circumstances do not clearly reveal it. Jeremiah was such a person, a man of hope. He is known as the "weeping prophet." He was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard for prophesying the fall of Jerusalem. He faced humiliation and rejection, abandoned not only by the general public but even by his own family. Yet, before Judah was destroyed by Babylon, the word he received from God was one of hope. God gave Jeremiah a message of hope: "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah" (Jeremiah 33:14). "In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land" (Jeremiah 33:15). Jeremiah’s circumstances were far from easy. Yet, when God’s word came to him, he lived with hope even in despair and proclaimed that hope to the people. This promise of restoration was fulfilled through the coming of the Lord. God’s word always comes to pass. Today, we too are people who wait with hope for the promised word.

We may not know exactly when the promise will be fulfilled, but we believe it will certainly be accomplished. Believers are those who live each day, letting go of impatience and not losing hope in waiting. That day and time belong to God. Those who let go of impatience, prepare for that day in waiting, and live by faith will welcome that day and time with joy.

4. What Are We Waiting For?
The era we live in is filled with many problems and difficulties. Wars, violence, and conflicts are always present. While we strive to solve these difficult issues in our lives, new problems continue to pile up. It is easy for Christians to focus only on personal hopes—wanting to live better, happier lives, and desiring success for their children. However, true hope lies in God. Christians must always live with the ultimate hope of God’s coming fulfillment: healing, restoration, salvation, and the renewal of all things.

It is important to strive in our respective places to make this world a better one. Yet, we must ultimately wait for the completion of God’s kingdom. This means not becoming complacent in our present lives but living with the hope of God’s kingdom. Those who live captivated by the comforts of this world cannot welcome the returning Lord. We must wait like the wise virgins, prepared with oil, eagerly awaiting the bridegroom.

As we enter Advent, we must become people who prepare well and welcome the Lord’s coming. Even if our current circumstances are difficult, we must become like Jeremiah—people who proclaim hope even in despair. Those who do not lose hope will be able to participate with joy when the promise of salvation is fulfilled. Therefore, let us firmly hold onto this hope, remain unshaken, let go of impatience, and become victorious through waiting.