Welcome back. As we discussed in
the previous blog, it is very difficult for us to wait. We don't
like waiting and we would rather jump in and start than wait for
the 'gun' to go off. No wonder we often get false starts at the
Olympic games. Everyone wants to be the quickest out of the
starting blocks and gain an advantage on all the others.
I am also impulsive sometimes and
start something just in order for me to feel that I am gaining
ground and at least doing something. I hate doing nothing. But
sometimes the Lord wants us to wait, and do nothing but spend time
with Him. And through spending time with Him He wants to teach us
things that will help us along the way and in actual fact save us
time in the long run. But very few of us are prepared to give that
time away, as we are afraid that we will lose out in our
materialistic race.
An excellent example from the Bible
of someone who had to wait for years for promises regarding his
life to come to pass, is David. He was anointed as king over Israel
when he was still a young boy and only became king of Judah when he
was 30 years old and king of the whole Israel when he was 37 years
old. He had to wait for a very long time before he was crowned king
and during all those years, the possibility of becoming king
appeared very slim. Saul wanted to kill him because he was jealous
of David, and chased him all over the country. David had to go and
hide away from Saul in caves and in Israel's enemy's territory. The
chances of him ever going back home and promoted to the throne
seemed remote. David could have been down in the dumps, his heart
could have been heavy and down cast. But he wasn't, listen to this
one psalm he wrote while he was being persecuted by Saul:
Psalm 17:9, 15 "Protect me from
wicked people who attack me, from murderous enemies who surround
me. But because I have done what is right, I will see You. When I
awake, I will be fully satisfied, for I will see You face to
face."
David held on to the Lord. He
didn't resent the Lord that he needed to wait, but he spent time
with the Lord. He looked up to the Lord to protect him and to guide
him. If you read David's story you will notice that he always asked
God's guidance when he was on the run and didn't know what to do.
He kept the Lord close to his heart and he trusted in Him.
I heard a woman speaking on Impact
radio the other day about waiting. And one thing that she said
stuck with me. She said that the way we wait express our trust in
God. And that is so true. If we look at David, we can see that he
trusted the Lord with his life. From the moment that he took on
Goliath until the day that he died. Yes, David did make mistakes in
between, but he asked forgiveness and the Lord called him a man
after His own Heart.
We need to wait with faith. If you
are in a season of waiting, try to strengthen your relationship
with the Lord during this time. Whether you are waiting for a soul
mate, or a baby to come, or a promotion at work, or for guidance on
a new career path you would like to take, whatever it is, spend
time with the Lord. The time is now. It will ease the period of
waiting, as His Peace will enter your soul, plus He will prepare
you for your task that lays ahead if you trust in Him.
Take care, wait with
confidence!
Lord, help us to wait with an
expectant heart. Thank you that we can know that you are waiting
with us and preparing the way forward. Amen