"The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and wait there... Then Moses went up on the mountain... The glory of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud." - Exodus 24: 12, 15-16
Our worldly nature has caused us to grow accustomed to receiving things right away. Technology has advanced so much that instead of creating new things, we just continue to find ways to make pre-existing things faster. Society has given up on being pure and chaste for a lifestyle of instant sexual gratification. Children miss out on great childhood experiences because they're in such a hurry to grow up. Psychics, fortune tellers and astrologers continue to thrive because everyone wants to know about the new job, the new boyfriend or other new big life change right now.
Sadly, we've allowed this mindset to affect how we interact with God. We send up our prayers to God and expect to find the answer right in front of us when we open our eyes after the amen. Somehow patience no longer applies once we've made our requests known. Yet God never promised an answer right away. And even when we have an answer, there is no guarantee of an immediate delivery. God called Moses to come to Him, yet it wasn't until the seventh day that Moses was allowed to come to the presence of God. I imagine Moses didn't have much else to do during the first six days, other than sit around and wait. Sure, he had Joshua to keep him company. But his entire purpose for being where he was was to wait for God to call, and so that is what he did. The Bible doesn't tell us what went through his mind at that time or how he spent those days. Did he spend them in prayer? Did he go over the laws with Joshua? Or did he groan and grumble and wish he was back off the mountain and with everyone else? Maybe he sat longing for his wife. Maybe he sat worrying about the safety of the people, and if Aaron and the others would take care of them. Or maybe he just sat humbly, because He knew God was coming.
Do I have the patience to wait for things promised me? Do I doubt God will use me in some way and think "well, if it hasn't happened yet...?" There are many opportunities I've missed because I did not have the patience to see them to fruition. Yet God is faithful. And one day I will hopefully learn to wait on the mountain until the time He deems it fitting to call me to Him and show me what I am to do.
