Waiting

Waiting

Psalms 62:5 Let my soul wait in silence before God, for my hope is in him.

Psalms 27:13-14 

 13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.

 14 Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.

Isaiah 40:28-29

 28 Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

 29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

The pace of the 21st century is extremely fast and is speeding up. It seems as though we can hardly keep up with all that is happening. Unless of course we get stuck waiting. Seems that we are always waiting in one way or another. We wait in line, we wait in traffic, we wait to get seated in the restaurant, we wait for food to be served, we wait for the check, we wait for the mail, we wait at the doctor’s office, we wait for delayed flights.

So often we hurry up and wait! It seems at times, that our lives are just on hold. How does that make us feel? To ask the question is to answer it: frustrated, blocked, and perhaps, just a bit angry.

“Growth is not a uniform thing in the tree or in the Christian. In some single months there is more growth than in all the year besides. During the rest of the year, however, there is solidification, without which the green timber would be useless. The period of rapid growth, when woody fiber is actually deposited between the bark and the trunk, occupies but four to six weeks in May, June and July” (Strong).

In the immortal words of Aretha Franklin, “You better think about it, you better think about the consequences of your actions.” Too often children of the King miss the point of waiting. When we wait, time is not being wasted. In the Father’s kingdom, waiting is not about doing nothing, rather it is about being prepared to do something.

To wait for the Father is to look to Him, counting on Him. Waiting is not passive. We actively trust and depend upon Him. The more we develop the skill of active confidence and reliance, the greater our inner spiritual strength and courage become. Waiting is a time for growth and consolidation. Waiting on the Father is not idle time. The Father uses seasons of waiting to mold and shape our character. He purifies our lives and cleanses us for His service. As we obey Him, the Father will prepare us for the assignment he has for each child of the King (Blackaby).

REFLECT & PRAY

“One day in the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Disraeli made a brilliant speech on the spur of the moment. That night a friend said to him, ‘I must tell you how much I enjoyed your extemporaneous talk. It’s been on my mind all day.’ ‘Madam,’ confessed Disraeli, ‘that extemporaneous talk has been on my mind for twenty years!’” (Miles Stanford).

Father I am so impatient at times. I often worry that my difficult life circumstances will never come to an end. Help me to realize anew that You use my difficulties and trials to lay bare my needs and limitations. Enable me to reach out and trust You all the more and.

INSIGHT

“All growth is progressive, and the finer the organism, the longer the process. It is from measure to measure: thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and hundredfold. It is from stage to stage: ‘first the blade, then the ear, and after that, the full corn in the ear.’ And it is from day to day . . .. There are also idle days, days apparently useless, when even prayer and holy service seem a burden. Are we, in any sense, renewed in these days? Yes, for any experience which makes us more aware of our need of God must contribute to spiritual progress . . .” (Graham Scroggie).

Sadly, when we wait, we tend to be like sheep and wander off. It is through discipline that we learn to follow Him closely.

Psalms 119:67 I used to wander off until you disciplined me, but now I closely follow your word.

In the Father’s timing, periods of waiting are when character is shaped and molded. The Father reveals what is in our hearts and then He purges and cleanses us. The Father binds us to Himself into deeper intimacy and spiritual union with Him. We learn the hard lesson of willing submission and obedience.

The Father is far more interested in accomplishing His kingdom purposes than we are. He will move us into every assignment He knows we are ready to take on. Allow the Father to orient you to Himself. The servant does not tell the Master what kind of position he or she wants. Servants wait on the Master for whatever direction He provides (Blackaby).

Psalms 27:13-14 

 13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

 14 Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.

David shows the way. Despite the difficulties, or rather, perhaps because of them, David moves into deeper faith. He is absolutely convinced that the Father will come to the rescue. Consequently, he will experience the goodness of God in the land of the living.

When we wait, the Father is at work creating a need that can be satisfied through Him and Him alone.

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

How does the ability to shepherd others develop within children of the King? Rather than training or gifting alone, it is through times of waiting. When we wait we often plumb the depths of failure and inadequacy. When we experience our own weaknesses and limitations, we are more prepared to be patient with the foibles of others.

When did the Lord Jesus Christ call Peter to shepherd his lambs and sheep? Was it when Peter affirmed his undying loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ (John 13:37)? No. It was when Peter has utterly failed to keep his commitments and wept bitterly (John 21:15-17).

But there’s more.

When our response to waiting is as it should be, endurance is the byproduct. When we are trained in this way, we are not easily discouraged by the weakness or shortcomings of others. We can see beyond human sinfulness, willfulness, and even stupidity once we come face-to-face with our own.

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