Saturday, July 2, 2011

Patiently or Impatiently Waiting?

Waiting.  We wait in line.  We wait on food.  We wait on others to do their jobs so we can do ours.  And we hate it, or at least I do.  I hate waiting.  It seems that most of my life is spent waiting.  When it comes to waiting on something God has promised, I feel a little bit differently about the process.  A small part of me still doesn't enjoy it because I can't always see the final product, but the rest of me rejoices in several aspects of waiting on God's timing.  First, when the final product or end goal finally happens, it is perfect and more than I could ever ask for or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).  It is always immeasurably more than anything I prayed for or thought of, like my husband, my daughter, my job, and so many other blessings in my life that are too many to count.  Secondly, I know that it's in the waiting process that God prepares me for His next step in my life.  Just because I believe I am ready for a particular event or circumstance to occur doesn't mean I am fully prepared for it and I thank God that He knows what needs to change in me before I am ready (Matthew 6:8).  As much as I want that particular thing to happen, I would not want to enter into it unprepared.  Additionally, the waiting process strengthens me in every area--physically, emotionally, and spritually (Psalm 27:14).  It forces me to rely on the real Promise Keeper.  His Word says that He loves to pour blessings on His children (Proverbs 10:6).  I may not like waiting, but I know that He can make things happen and fulfill desires in my life unlike anything I could ever do on my own.  Also, the waiting process allows me to take my hands off of the situation and just sit back while serving and worshiping Him.  There's nothing I can do to make the situation happen any sooner, so why not just sit back and watch God move?  Next, it teaches me to be less selfish and self-centered; it helps me focus on people around me and meeting their needs.  Lastly, it means I am blessed (Isaiah 30:18)--there is blessing in the waiting!  What an awesome promise--I get to be blessed while I wait and when the waiting is over...it's a win/win situation!

I believe that there are several things we can do as a Christ-follower while we wait on God's promises to come into fruition.  We can

Worship God with thanksgiving (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Attend to others' needs (serve others)
Immerse ourselves in the Word (Psalm 130:5)
Talk (and listen) to God constantly (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

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