09/18/2018
It is expected that we will wait upon the Lord, and we know that during our waiting there will be those who will ask us “Where is your Lord?”, but we should never lose faith, and never ask this question of ourselves. In those times when we pray for something and God providesit tight away, it is easy for us to be a saint, but when we must wait, it is then that we find the true state of our faith.
“But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”
Micah 7:7 ESV
When I was a boy my parents provided for us well, but that isn’t to say that I received everything I wanted, or even that it came to me the moment that I asked for it. I had four other brothers and sisters, and my Father was in the Army, and then following retirement from the service, worked for the government. At one point he was a mailman. We always had food on the table, clothes on our backs, and a roof over our head, but when it came to the extraneous items we often had to wait to receive them while money was saved up... or when we children wanted something too expensive the answer was a sad “no.”, or we had to work for it ourselves.
We were taught the value of things, the importance of an honest day’s work, and axioms like “always have something to show for your money”, “money doesn’t grow on trees”, or “a penny saved is a penny earned.” These were the rules we lived by, and they had been handed down through the generations, and were now being taught to us. There was no expectation of outlandish gifts at Christmas, and as a matter of fact, when my grandmother’s package was opened, it was always a pair of new socks, a pair of gloves, and a few loose pieces of candy... and yet each year I was excited to open her gift.
There were other families that lived around us in which waiting, and working, were not the case. There were kids in my neighborhood that had the latest clothes, never brought sack lunches to school, drove the nicest cars, and never waited for anything. These were the kids who would flop down on the floor of the five and dime store and kick their legs and scream until they were given what they wanted... and they always got it. I have to admit that I tried that once... after all it seemed to work for those other kids... but as my mother paid for her things and then went to the car, I felt really silly laying there on the floor with people staring at me like I had lost my mind. So I picked myself up, went to the car, and took my place on the backseat with my brothers and sisters who just laughed as I slid onto the seat... not one of my best days.
God is a wonderful provider, and he gives us what we ask for, but on occasion we have to wait for it until He determines the time to be right. Raised as I was, the waiting on God has never been much of a problem for me, and neither has being told no when my request has been outside His, or contrary to His character. Yet sometimes the waiting is very hard... like when a child is sick, or you don’t know how you are going to make ends meet, but the Lord provides, and the waiting always comes with a lesson, like humility, or patience, and what we finally receive from Him is often better than what we originally asked for.
I am reminded of the movie “The Christmas Story” in which a boy wants a BB Gun, but is told by everyone the He might shoot his eye out. Our God gives us good gifts, and if he gives us something that might “shoot our eye out” (which nearly happened to Ralphy in the movie) you can bet your bottom dollar that there is a lesson attached to it.
So we are asked to wait on the Lord, and some of us are better at it than others because we have already been taught how to do this, but regardless of whether we learned this lesson from our parents as children, or as adults at the hand of God, we WILL learn to wait. The question boils down to how we wait... will waiting be a patient and prayerful time, or will it be a lay on the floor and scream spectacle in which our faith is challenged? Will we wait knowing that God is good, and will provide, or will being asked to wait cause us to doubt Him, and His motives... or even His existence? How do you wait?
Good things come from waiting... the provision comes at just the right time, it is good, and our faith grows in the process. There is a wonderful scripture that we all quote when we think about God’s provision, but the word “wait” is often minimized. Unfortunately for those who have a problem waiting, it is central to this verse and lesson...
“but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31 ESV
The New Testament teaches us s couple of lessons about waiting that I find particularly useful too. The first is that time is not viewed the same by each of us, and especially by God, and yet it is His view of time that really matters...
“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
2 Peter 3:8 ESV
And the second is that God knows what we need even before we ask, and as we wait on Him we should continue to strengthen our faith, and remain true to God’s commandments. Achieving righteousness doesn’t necessarily come with a reward, but it always makes the wait easier.
“For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Matthew 6:32-33 ESV
When others look at us and ask “Where is your God?” We should be able to tolerate this from them and know that our God is faithful, and with us always. We should have faith and trust in His provision; knowing that He is forever good. We should also be able to respond that “God is with me always.” In times of waiting there is one lesson that must be learned before any other... trust. God is always good to His Word, and if we can’t trust in that... then doubt and disbelief follow swift on its heels.
So how do you wait? How do you tolerate the ridicule and questioning of your faith by others as you do? Are you steadfast as Job was? Or do you take to the floor in a screaming fit like the spoiled child who wants his desires met immediately? Are you patient, and fortified by your trust? These are the questions we must ask ourselves as we prepare to wait on God.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for answered prayer, and also for those times when I must wait on your provision. Teach me in my times of waiting to trust in you, and to seek out an increase in righteousness as I do. Help me see the lessons in my waiting, and feel the strength that those occasions of patient anticipation bring to me. Holy Father, you are forever faithful, wanting only the best for me, and you will never give me a stone when I ask for bread, or a snake when I ask you for a fish because you love me without fail. Help me in my moments of unbelief Merciful Father, and lead me in paths of righteousness that I might glorify you always. You are great Lord, and greatly to be praised! I will praise you when you place your provision in my hand, and I will praise you as I stand waiting with my hand extended. You are Holy, Holy, Holy, my God of answered prayer. In you I find myself complete, and in you my needs are always met! Praised be your name now, and for forever!
Rich Forbes