Good morning. Perhaps it is a time for true confessions: I am terrible at waiting. Through the years this has been noticed by others and usually they point out God’s sense of humor in connecting a person (me) who is terrible at waiting with a person (Pam) who excels at it.
This reality of being bad at waiting becomes an even more thorny issue when I read several scriptures that command that I patiently wait. In particular, I would refer to scriptures such as these which command that we “wait upon the Lord”.
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Do not concern yourself over an evil person who prospers in some way, or over one who carries out evil schemes! Psalm 37:7 (The balance of this Psalm goes on to make the point that we should not be overwhelmed by what we perceive as evil around us. Rather, we are to leave it to God and wait for Him!)
I suppose that the truth of the matter is that I would rather do it myself. I would rather try my best and hope for immediate and positive results. Frustration sets in when it is necessary to sit back with patience and wait for the Lord to take care of things in His way and in His time.
Does that sound familiar? If so, please know that we aren’t alone and that this isn’t a new problem. Repeatedly we read in the Psalms of King David crying out to God. Consider Psalm 13:
1 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?
How long will you look the other way?
2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!
Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”
Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.
The command is clear: wait upon the Lord! We are to trust in His wisdom and His love! It isn’t easy. It wasn’t easy for King David either, but he managed. As King David learned to wait he found that the Lord’s answers and actions were always superior to anything he would have accomplished. Nothing has changed.
Wait upon the Lord!
Vern