All tagged waiting
This morning we will learn what to do while we wait upon the Lord. My devotional reading this morning was titled "Waiting on the Spirit" and used Pentecost as its example. Just before Jesus ascended into heaven He told his apostles to stay in Jerusalem and wait there to receive power from the Holy Spirit. So they remained in the city and waited, but what did they do as they waited? Did they just sit in the upper room biding their time?
This morning as I read my daily devotion, I was struck by what E.M. Bounds wrote regarding waiting on God to answer our prayers. Bounds referred to this as a test, but I couldn't agree with his conclusion that God would use waiting for an answer to prayer to test us. No, I believe it allows us to see, and realize, the strength in our own maturing faith. When we are made to wait it shows us how much we have increased in our ability to demonstrate patience, trust, hope, and confidence in God. For some of us we see progress in our faith right away, but for others it takes a great deal of time to fully develop these traits.
Do you find yourself longing for God? Are you at a place in your life where you feel separated from him and sit in darkness waiting on His light to shine on you once again? Maybe you have asked for His Holy Spirit to fill you, and are waiting expectantly for it, or you need an answer to some other prayer that is yet to come. However you wait upon God remember that He is already with you; that your realization of His presence is what you truly await. Remember also that you are not alone, even in this feeling.
How long are we capable of waiting on a promise before we begin to doubt in it? How long will our faith remain firm in God’s promises before at last we falter in our trust, and question Him? In today’s society we are not conditioned to be patient or long suffering, but patience is a virtue that God requires of us, and gives us. Neither are we taught true perseverance, and are unable to remain firm in our efforts, and to to serve Him for very long with only the promise of a reward, before our suffering wears on us, and we give up. But our God is faithful and true; His Word, and promise, is unwavering so we must teach ourselves through prayer and the reading of scripture, how to increase these virtues within ourselves, and how to suffer thankfully as we wait on Him… for He will provide, and His promise is even now being worked in His due time.
Modern day people who live in small towns and villages often leave them to make new homes in the larger cities; they find the allure of high paying jobs, the vibrance of city life, and all the activities that are immediately available to them there to be exciting and enticing, but the greatest draw is in the fact that they can have all these things “right now”. People of faith are often drawn to the worldly life for all the same reasons… we have become a “right now” society, and waiting on anything, even God, has become unacceptable to modern man. Waiting on God is like watching paint dry to many in today’s world, and yet waiting is certain, peaceful, and can calm us if we will trust in the Lord.
How long have we been waiting on God? Do we even realize that we have been waiting, or do we simply think that we are living a life subject to our own actions? Are we going to a dead end job every day, or simply living hand to mouth, and not see that the Lord is about to do something wonderful in our lives? So many people wander about, or carry a heavy burden in their heart, feeling lost in the world when in fact they are one step or one day away from God calling their name. Are we one of those that are waiting today, and don’t realize it?
In these times of constant change, and intense spiritual warfare, it is easy to become disheartened, and if we aren’t courageous, and don’t trust enough to wait upon the Lord, we can become spiritually wounded. We see Satan’s minions taking control of governments, killing the innocent, and his warlords brutalizing entire countries, and we call out for Jesus to come now. Yet in all of this we must endure, persevere in our faith, and wait in absolute trust. In these times of our greatest earthly suffering, and despondence, we are told to lean on God, and wait in Him. Are we able to do so without fainting? Is God our strong tower?
As He prepared to ascend, Jesus told the apostles to stay in Jerusalem and wait on the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He reminded them that God had promised this, so they stayed, and waited. We are told to wait quite often in our lives as Christians, but we are an eager bunch, and waiting is not one of our strong features. Too often we begin to move before the waiting has concluded, and when we do so then the results that were intended by God don’t come to fruition, and we complain about how God didn’t keep His promise, or didn’t keep it fully. We might not make this accusation aloud, but it is evident in our demeanor. So how can we avoid making God look bad, or at very least, inadequate in such situations?
What do we ask of God in prayer, and are those things actually within His Will for us, or even consistent with His perfect character? Are our prayers true to the tenets of faith, or perhaps something that would bring us or others, harm? Let’s ask ourselves today if what we ask for in our prayers will glorify God, and bring us, or those who are yet to believe, to repentance. Then let’s look inward and determine if we have the patience to wait for them?
When we call upon the Lord in our times of hardship or trouble do we have the faith, trust, and the courage to wait on Him? Can we sit perfectly still in His shadow, like a rabbit frozen beneath a bush as the hounds approach, or does our fear mount within us until we flinch and run, renewing the chase once more? Trusting in God, and His promises, should give us the courage to wait on Him, but is our hope in Him strong enough?
Do we wait upon the Lord? Do we long for Him to come, to rescue us, or for His provision? We should wait, but how intense is our desire for Him as we do so? Think of a time when you waited on something to occur, and not just for gifts on Christmas morning, but something that would bring relief to you in a time of trouble, suffering, or desperate need. Now think about God... did your remembrance involve praying, or trusting in Him? Have you ever waited on Him like that?