Sabbath School Lesson Review (Tagalog)
With Pastor Elexiz Mercado

The concept of waiting in the book of Psalms denotes having, and demonstrating, an enduring faith. Believers are called to wait upon the Lord for the fulfillment of His promises, just as Abraham and Sarah were called to wait for the blessing of the promised child (Genesis 12:1-4; Genesis 21:1-5), which, finally, was bestowed after 25 years. Similarly, Israel waited for deliverance, enduring 430 years in Egypt, before departing for the Promised Land (Genesis 15:13; Exodus 12:40-41). Likewise, the psalmists, with enduring faith, held on to God’s promises, as did Daniel, who, in fulfillment of the 70 years of Jeremiah’s prophecy (Jeremiah 29:10-11), waited for the return of the Jews to the Promised Land (Daniel 9:1-2). The Jews also waited hundreds of years for the promised Messiah until the fullness of time was reached and Jesus came to this earth in human flesh.

Waiting is made up of two variables: (1) the anticipation of the fulfillment of a promise, and (2) the expectation that what is promised will be fulfilled within, or by, a certain time. In life, when we wait, we actively anticipate an event to come, whether we await a new job, an imminent wedding, the birth of a baby, the completion of an academic degree, an upcoming voyage, a new appointment, et cetera. A lapse of time must transpire between the anticipation of the event itself and its fulfillment. The same is true for God’s promises in our daily life as well as for the ultimate fulfillment of the great events in the plan of Redemption.