While You Wait

Psalm 27:14
"Wait patiently for the Lord.  Be brave and courageous.  Yes, wait patiently for the Lord."

If there is one thing I am really bad at, it's waiting.  I just don't wait well.  I am always in a hurry to get to where I am going, to be at the destination, to have checked the items off on my to do list, to see God's promises fulfilled and have already achieved the goals I set.  Here's the problem, we usually spend more of our lives in the waiting phases than we do having arrived at the destination.  If you think about it, our Christian life is one big waiting period until we see Jesus face to face! (Hebrews 13:14 "For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.") But I want to take it to the nitty gritty of our every day lives.  Those times of waiting for a job opportunity, a clear direction in which God wants us to go, good news from this or that source, healing both physically and mentally, the salvation of a friend or family member, a relationship to be mended, (insert whatever it is you are personally waiting for  here) and waiting day after day, month after month and even year after year can be really exhausting.  Sometimes we think God has forgotten about our need, and has went on to other things.  We see him working in others peoples lives and we see them being lifted out of there waiting times and we begin to fret that maybe God is going to keep us in this waiting time forever.  We humans are a dramatic bunch aren't we!

If there is one thing I have learned in my nearly 30 years of walking with the Lord, it's that God's timing is rarely our timing.  Isaiah 55:8 says " 'My thoughts are nothing like  your thoughts.' Says the Lord.  'And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine'."  This can be hard to live with when we simply cannot see the end of the circumstance we are in, we can't sense what God is doing, and we can't see how things will work out.  Waiting is very hard especially with the times of instant gratification in which we live. We can order things on certain sites and have them ready to pick up in store the same day, or even better delivered to our homes in 2 days or less.  We have high speed internet, a constant connection to people, at our finger tips 24/7, and goodness gracious do we stress when the internet, cable or phone service is down for any amount of time.  We do not like to wait and will do anything to avoid it.

I have found though, that since we do spend most of our lives waiting for one thing or the other, we are wasting a good portion of our lives not using the times of waiting to the fullest. Waiting the way God intended, creates within us the fruit of much needed patience.  While we wait we may be able to encourage someone else who is going through their own time of waiting.  Maybe God wants to teach us how to trust Him more and our circumstances less.  Maybe God wants us to let go of those reigns of control we try to to hold on to so tightly.  Maybe he wants us to learn how to live a simpler life and take more time to just be still.  He has many reasons for allowing us to wait in our lives, it's up to us whether or not we will take time to enjoy the journey and not just the destination.
 God isn't absent in those times, he is very near, very present.  He is working behind the scenes in ways you cannot begin to understand.  Just like when you show up to a broadway production or movie, what you see before you in an amazing performance, all put together and flowing nicely.  This didn't happen overnight, nor did you have to do anything to make it happen but wait for it to come out.  There are hundreds and thousands of people behind the scenes who did all the work to make it be what it is and you get to show up when it's ready and enjoy it.   Just because you can't see how things are being worked out doesn't mean it isn't happening.  God hasn't left you.  He wants you to enjoy the waiting times because there is something in every day that can be enjoyed and if you get so focused on the destination you will miss all the detours God wants to take you on and memorable moments along the way.
Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."

Psalm 37:7 "Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act.  Don't worry about evil people who prosper of fret about their wicked schemes."

Exodus 14:14 "The Lord  himself will fight for you.  Just stay calm."

Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait on the Lord, will renew their strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint."


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