Waiting


            You’re doing your best to live the good, Christian life; spending time in the word, praying steadily, spending time in worship, doing all the things you’re supposed to and now you are waiting on God. Life feels like you’re sitting in the waiting room of a doctor’s office. Perhaps there is a major life change on the other side of the door, or you find that where you are is where you’re supposed to be. It feels random and out of your control and ever so frustrating.
            Waiting is not a passive event. It is active faith and trusting God’s plan for you. In 1 Samuel 13 we see Saul waiting to go into battle. He had received specific instructions to wait for Samuel to offer sacrifice. Saul’s men were getting restless and leaving so he took it upon himself to offer the sacrifice; he didn’t trust. Of course, Samuel arrives just after Saul does this. As a result of not waiting and following God’s command his kingdom would not endure.

            I tend to envy Saul for the fact that he had a clear directive of what he should do. I don’t always find things so clear in my life and I venture to guess you are in similar circumstances. But, even with such a clear directive Saul panics and does his own thing. I have done that too, panic and try to fix it myself. My own history tells me that God has always provided for my needs, His timing is perfect; me, not so much. My imagination runs away with my common sense and I can make some poor decisions.

                So, what does waiting look like? For me, it is continuing to live my life, say my prayers, offer my worship and keep putting one foot in front of the other. It doesn’t mean freeze and do nothing. I can’t be a deer in the headlights. We must put our best foot forward and trust that God will put into place all the right things for living as He has called us to live. Maybe I need to stay put in a situation until God directs me otherwise.

 We gain His direction by reading His word, praying and seeking the counsel of other wise, truthful Christians. I emphasize truthful because we all need that friend who will tell us we are off base if necessary. The friend who pays lip service is not a true friend. They compare to the false prophets of the Old Testament who never wanted to give bad news to the king. They told the king what they thought he wanted to hear rather than the truth. Ultimately, the truth is far more valuable.

Stay the course, do what you know is right. Give thanks and pray while waiting. Waiting is also a time of growth in our faith, making us stronger than we were before.
Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

               

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