“To wait on God means to pause and soberly consider our own inadequacy and the Lord’s all-sufficiency, and to seek counsel and help from the Lord, and to hope in Him (Psalm. 33:20-22; Isa. 8:17) … The folly of not waiting for God is that we forfeit the blessing of having God work for us. The evil of not waiting on God is that we oppose God’s will to exalt Himself in mercy.” John Piper
For more about waiting for God see:
I mentioned in my previous post that I recently attended a Via de Cristo retreat weekend. At the beginning of each weekend, participants are told, “don’t judge the weekend until it is finished.” Things that seem uncomfortable or maybe confusing become clear as time passes. In other words, WAIT, get the full picture before you make a decision.
I realized that this is good advice about many things in life. When we prejudge a person, or an event, we often get it wrong. I can think of people who didn’t impress me at our first meeting, who became friends with much to appreciate. I have had work environments that started out feeling uncomfortable but became nurturing with time and attention. In the book of John, we read:
“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. “John 7:24
In other words, don’t make a determination when the information you have is superficial. Be patient. Sit with it a while. See how things play out. Pray for God to open your eyes so that you can see His will. Keep your heart open, too! Our Lord is full of surprises! Don’t miss out on a blessing because you didn’t wait.
“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. “Psalm 27:14
For more about Lutheran Via de Cristo see:
“Waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one’s thoughts.”
Elisabeth Elliot
For more about Elisabeth Elliot see:
“Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.”
G. Campbell Morgan (1863-1945), British evangelist, preacher, teacher and author
This is a message I need to hear. I come from a family that valued hard work above all. Right now, I’m in an in-between state. My husband retired from the ministry, and so I gave up many duties that I had assumed, over the years. We’re still attending that church at times, but not regularly enough to take responsibility for on-going projects. We’ve been visiting and attending other churches where my husband fills in. I don’t feel like I have a stable church home right now. And I feel lazy. What is the next big thing God wants me to do? I don’t see it yet.
That’s why I’ve been reading and studying about waiting this month. I’ve learned that resting is a discipline, too (not one I’m particularly good at, as you can see). I’ve learned that peace comes from embracing the blessings of the present moment; and it means trusting that “at the very right time” God may have another task for me to complete, and when that time comes, He’ll also make sure I don’t miss it.
It’s been a fruitful month for me, learning about waiting. What about you?
For previous posts about waiting see:
We Americans are not known for our patience. We’re fans of fast food; we covet faster internet service; we expect to be able to connect with our loved ones instantly. We’re used to doing things on our schedule at the time we choose. However, the Bible tells us we need to wait for God’s timing, and this requires patience. a fruit of the Spirit.
How can we grow this fruit in our lives? Here are some suggestions.
“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5
2. That brings us to the second thing we can do. Hope. We must remind ourselves of God’s promise:
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
3. Which means we must trust in that promise, even when we don’t understand.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. “Proverbs 3:5-6
4. We also must not sit idle. There is always work for us to do, even when we are in “waiting” mode.
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. “Galatians 6:9
Hmmm… that seems to take us back to endurance again!
Waiting may be uncomfortable, but it isn’t bad. It will teach us patience; we will learn to trust God; and in the end we will see that His timing is the best.
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“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14
For more about patience see these posts:
Yesterday I posted about the medio distinctio — the pause in choral psalmody that allows those chanting to take a breath. Today, I thought it would be helpful to actually listen to that type of music. See if you can identify the pause, and think about how you might work short pauses into your own life — pauses that allow you to rest, to pray, to think, to wait for God’s timing.
For more about music and how to use it in your spiritual life see these posts:
” If the Lord Jehovah makes us wait, let us do so with our whole hearts; for blessed are all they that wait for Him. He is worth waiting for. The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes. The Lord’s people have always been a waiting people”
Charles Spurgeon
For posts about patience see:
“My son, commit your cause always to Me; I will dispose of it in due time. Wait for my ordering of it, and you shall find your good there from.”
Thomas A Kempis, On the Imitation of Christ
For more posts about Thomas A Kempis see:
Thomas a Kempis on Union with Christ
It’s May already. Most of us are waiting for warmer weather to settle in, so that we can enjoy more outdoor activities. Waiting is always hard, especially if you’re an impatient person like I am, and so I decided that will be our theme for the month –waiting.
Many people in the Bible had to wait; Abraham and Sarah had to wait for many years to conceive a child; Joseph spent years waiting in Egypt to be reunited with his family; even Jesus had to wait until the time was right to begin his ministry. In our own lives, we may be waiting for similar events, or others to take place. For my own part, my husband retired from the ministry less than one year ago, and we are waiting to see what God has in store for us next.
So, how do we handle waiting times? We can rush into something new, or we can continue established routines. We can try to take control into our own hands, or we can pray. We can sit back and do nothing, or we can become attentive to God’s leading. What is the right course and how do we handle it? How will we know when waiting is over, and action is required? I’ll be discussing these and other questions this month.
“For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:3
I found this quote by Andrew Murray to be appropriate right now as we are waiting for so many things — the end of the virus, the resolution of political conflicts, and more importantly, waiting for God to speak to us as we ready ourselves to celebrate the birth of His Son.
“In praying, we are often occupied with our own needs, and our own efforts in the presentation of them. In waiting upon God , the first thought is of the God upon whom we wait. God longs to reveal Himself, to fill us with Himself. Waiting on God gives Him time in His own way and divine power to come to us. Before you pray, bow quietly before God, to remember and realize who He is, how near He is, how certainly He can and will help. Be still before Him, and allow His Holy Spirit to waken and stir up in your soul the child-like disposition of absolute dependence and confident expectation. Wait on God till you know you have met Him; prayer will then become so different. And when you are praying, let there be intervals of silence, reverent stillness of soul, in which you yield yourself to God, in case He may have aught He wishes to teach you or work in you.”
Andrew Murray
Andrew Murray (9 May 1828 – 18 January 1917) was a South African writer, teacher and Christian pastor.
For more on the topic of waiting see these posts:
Lutheran Ladies Connection 