Waiting On The Lord

In our high tech, high paced culture we are a people who want results and want them quickly. We do not enjoy and are not accustomed to waiting. From losing weight, to 4g phones, to fast food, and overnight shipping. We want what we want, and we want it now. When i survey the city around me, patience is not a fruit of the spirit that seems to grow in abundance in the individuals who inhabit this place.

In conversations with counselees, the subject of God's timing and their response of patiently enduring through trials are addressed on a daily basis. Questions of how long, when, and what if are brought to the forefront when discussing trials and longings. I wish at times that I could tell them and know 100 percent that it would all be better in a year, their child would return to the Lord, they would get married, they will have a baby, they will get over him, they will stop having nightmares, and that this too will pass, etc. But, sometimes it doesn't always end the way WE want it to. People leave, plans fail, and heartache ensues. I see that hope is often tied more to a future desire than it is to being known and changed by Jesus.   Unfortunately, I  am not omniscient or sovereign, but fortunately  I do know THE ONE who is.

Psalm 27:14 tells us to, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.” I find it comforting that waiting on the Lord takes strength and courage. It is comforting to me because David says it is not easy – you need strength and bravery to do it. Two things i often lack. I personally know how weak I am apart from Christ so, I know that this strength is a gift from Him and is tied to Him. He is not looking down at me from heaven and tapping his watch waiting for me to get it together, but he is very active in strengthening me and changing and shaping me as I wait. This is the part of waiting that really blows me away because he is changing my heart and desires as i wait. So, in definition its really not waiting so much as it is changing.

And change can be scary so, courage is needed. And again this only comes from him. My courage grows when i dwell on the truth that he is with me, for me, and he is good. His perfect presence aids my resolve as I transform (a.k.a. wait.) I know that He knows EVERYTHING. He knows where I'm gonna end up, who I'm gonna be with, what I'm gonna do, etc. Not only does he know those things, but he is residing in those moments right now. So, that gives me courage to respond to the prompting of the spirit. He grows my patience and endurance as I wait. I find it amusing that He is more interested in our relationship and how he will keep growing me to look more like Him than I ever will be with my time agenda for whatever desire I have.  He even enjoys me during this process. He told me that he came to give me life to the fullest, and that is all of life so, waiting on the Lord really does become LIVING.

At times I still find myself asking Him to hurry up, and i tell Him that I should be further along. And then He just encourages me by reminding me that his timing is beautiful. I just don't have eyes to see it yet, so I must wait…..