Do you remember Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers? Back in the eighties, they were one of my favorite bands. Do you remember a song called “The Waiting is the Hardest Part”… I think that was the title. As I’m thinking about what I want to write, the words and the melody keep playing over and over in my head. I’m talking about waiting. It really is the hardest part, isn’t it?
We stand in line and wait at the grocery store. We wait for our names to be called at the doctor or dentist’s office. We have to wait for cakes or cookies to bake (unless you’re like me and feast on the batter). We have to wait for the washing machine to get done. We wait for people. We wait, wait, and wait some more. Nobody likes to wait. We’ve come up with solutions to help us with this waiting problem. We’re living in the age of “instant” gratification; some things are good, but I think a lot of the conveniences we have are bad. They cut down on the time it takes to do something only to free us up so we could give our time to do something else, yet we say that there’s not enough time to get everything done? On the flip side, conveniences can create very spoiled, demanding people who have a hard time waiting for something that was created for the sole purpose of convenience. Can you see where I am going with this?
We are told throughout the Bible that we are to wait upon the Lord. His timetable is not the same as ours. God says His ways and His thoughts are higher than ours. All things are possible with God; “Instant” gratification is certainly possible, but I’m convinced that God is more concerned with our character rather than our comfort. God doesn’t make us wait on things for His benefit…because frankly, He knows it all. He makes us wait for our benefit…I’ll say it again…He makes us wait for our benefit! We need to use our waiting time profitably. We can choose to learn and grow in our present circumstances, whatever they may be. Use your waiting time to draw closer to God. This is His Promise to you…
“Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Psalm 27: 13-14
Follow David’s lead. He was obviously going through a trial, but he was confident that in this present life, God would see him through it. He doesn’t say we’ll eventually get what we ask for, but God will see us through whatever it is bringing us down. Think about David’s story. He was anointed king at age sixteen but didn’t become king until he was thirty. During the interim, he had been chased through the wilderness by jealous King Saul. David had to wait on God for the fulfillment of His promise to reign. Later, after becoming king, he was chased by his rebellious son Absalom. So that makes me think David knew a thing or two about waiting.
We all know that waiting on God is not easy. But it’s not impossible either. It often seems that God doesn’t answer us because we think He doesn’t understand the urgency of our situation. Thinking like that implies God isn’t in control or He’s unfair. God’s so worth waiting for…
“I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore I will hope in him.’ The Lord is good to those who depend on Him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.” Lamentations 3: 24-26
This scripture calls us to hope in and wait for the Lord because often God uses times of waiting to refresh, renew, and teach us. So we definitely must make good use of our waiting time by discovering what God may be trying to teach us:)
**On a side note… if you like watercolor paintings, I have a new cyberfriend who has a talent for painting the most beautiful watercolors. Actually, the picture I used on today’s post is from her collection. If interested, check out her site @ www.watercolorbypamela.com