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Waiting

Isaiah 40:31

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

What is waiting? The dictionary defines it as this: To stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens.

The Bible is full of verses on waiting on the Lord! But what is it, and why is it important? We live in a microwave age! You don’t have to wait for anything! You can’t drive 5 miles without having somebody pass you because they are in a hurry, or was that I can’t drive five miles without passing somebody; hmm..  So if you are anything like I am, this concept is foreign to you. But with verses like Isaiah 40:31 and Psalms 33:20 it must be important. The Psalms are full of verses about waiting for the Lord! I think it begins with the understanding that God is worth waiting for Psalms 62 says it this way “My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.

Bound up in a God worth waiting for is also the understanding that God is Sovereign. Isaiah 40:

O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might, With His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him And His recompense before Him. Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales? Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge And informed Him of the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust……Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble. “To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power.

So God is the only one who can help whatever situation we find ourselves in; In these fast pace days though, do we wait on God! Do we bend our foolish pride enough to simply wait? Not usually.. No it has to be taught! You must first have a problem too big for you. One that you can’t solve by yourself; then if you are anything like me, you pray! And expect God to answer NOW! So then you pray again, then you flip on the tube or read the paper. Then you start to get frustrated with God. Like this is His only concern!

            So what should our response be? First, repent.. unbend your pride and ask God to forgive you. Understand that God has only your best interest at heart (Romans 8:28). Also that the answer you want might not be what’s best for you at all (Joseph for example) or that you might never get an answer this side of the daisies. I don’t know if Job ever knew why all that calamity struck, but he certainly learned how to wait!

            Secondly, quiet humility. See, you have to take all this into account. If God is sovereign then He already knows about your situation and planned it that way, for your good. We can trust Him completely then, no matter what happens. The loss a job or loved on or even a debilitating disease. How else will God teach us to trust Him? 1 Peter Says this

” In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”

            God is Holy and Sovereign; in Him is no darkness at all! He can’t make a mistake! So what do you do?

Find a place where you can get alone with God on your knees! Then pour your heart out to Him. Then simply be quiet! Don’t say amen and just wait till the spirit gives you permission to get up. Maybe five minutes, maybe 30 minutes, it doesn’t really matter. The point is you are just still and quiet before an Awesome God! Then Live the rest of your life in that understanding, weather the trial  lasts just for a season or for a lifetime.

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on you Lord!
Song: While I’m Waiting: by John Waller

 

 (2010-04-01). The New Oxford American Dictionary (Kindle Locations 915067-915068). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition.

The Lockman Foundation (2008-01-26). Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible (NASB) (Kindle Locations 22955-22957). The Lockman Foundation. Kindle Edition.