Waiting

The action of staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time

or until something else happens.

We've all waited or are waiting.

Waiting for a job.

Waiting for a sale.

Waiting to get better.

Waiting to see.

Waiting for spring.

Waiting for Justice.

Waiting for....

You fill in the blank.

What are you waiting for?

So I decided to try and tackle the waiting game from a biblical stand point.

I just went through a waiting period with my Beloved Brother In Law who passed recently.

Blessed by time with him, I still don't quite understand the wait.

The only thing that brings peace in the waiting was this verse

1 Thessalonians 4:14 says

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so,

through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

I was blessed with seeing his last breath.

Watching him fall asleep in the Lord.

And knowing that God himself brought my beloved brother in law to Him

made the wait....bearable

In the King James version the word "wait" appears 106 times in 101 verses

So this made me think....why wait?
What is the purpose of waiting on Gods timing?

And how are we suppose to wait?

Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.

Romans 5:3-4 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope

So this is what I learned.

Waiting brings out either the best or worst in us. It is a test of our faith. And we will either show impatience, annoyance, frustration to name a few, or we will sit quietly, learning, listening for His voice and showing others stillness.

Waiting produces patience. If we can learn to wait on the small stuff in life, we can wait for the bigger stuff.

When we have to wait, we cherish it more. If we had everything happen in the timing that we thought fit we wouldn't see as much joy in the wait.

Waiting transforms our character. Look what waiting did for Moses,
Abraham and Sarah, Joseph, Daniel, King David, Noah......and on and on

When we wait on God

He reveals His will.

He guides our choices and protects the outcome of our obedience.

When we obey Him, we are shielded from all kinds of damaging circumstances.

As we wait, the Lord heals, comforts, teaches, and empowers us.

He encourages, answers prayers, and gives peace (Phil. 4:6-7)

While we wait

God is working on the situation

Working on our motives

Teaching us

Protecting us from the unseen

Preparing us for something grander than we know

We can try and do it our way

Or we can wait on the Lord

His ways are always better than ours!

Waiting requires us to have

Faith

Endurance

Patience

Pray

Give it to God 100%

When we wait on the Lord for an answer

Don't give him a timeline

Moses had to wonder 40 years

FORTY YEARS!

But in the end...

ah, in the end

Gods plan is way better than our own!

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you,”

declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future."

Wait on the Lord

Don't set time lines for God

Let Him be a work in you and your life

Sit calmly, still and listen.

Hear His voice and wait

Psalm 130:5I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope

Proverbs 3:5-6 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.

Waiting has a way of bringing out the best and worst in people.
Read more at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/5-reasons-god-makes-us-wait#jb03pG5qAuqidf4s.99

Monday, April 14, 2014

Waiting in the Lord